Validity of a Self-Administered 3-Day Physical Activity Recall in Young Adults

Abstract

Background: Most physical activity recall questionnaires assess activity over a 7-day period. However, questionnaires have been validated in adolescents and adults using shorter recall timeframes. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of a self-administered 3-day physical activity recall instrument (3DR) in young adults. Methods: Thirty-nine participants (age: 21.0 ± 2.2 years; body mass index: 23.3 ± 3.3 kg/m²) wore an accelerometer during all waking hours for seven consecutive days and completed the 3DR on the eighth day. Results: During the 3-day recall period, participants accumulated 283,488.1 ± 86,792.3 counts/day, 347.0 ± 102.5 counts/minute, and reported spending 23.3 (IQR = 35.0) and 11.7 (IQR = 43.3) minutes in moderate and vigorous intensity activity, respectively. Counts/day and counts/minute correlated with self-reported minutes of vigorous activity (r₅=0.40, p=0.01 for both variables). Discussion: Results indicate that the validity indices of the vigorous 3DR items are similar to other self-report physical activity questionnaires. Translation to Health Education Practice: Health education and promotion professionals should consider using the 3DR when evaluating physical activity interventions in college students and young adults.