Concurrent Validity Between Electronically Administered Physical Activity Questionnaires and Objectively Measured Physical Activity in Danish Community-Dwelling Older Adults

Aim: To investigate the concurrent validity of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-short form (IPAQ-SF) and the Nordic Physical Activity Questionnaire-short (NPAQ-short) when compared with objectively measured daily steps among older adults.

Methods: Spearman's ρ between IPAQ-SF and NPAQ-short and objectively measured steps using Garmin Vivofit 3 physical activity monitors.

Results: A total of 54 participants were included. The IPAQ-SF subscales' moderate physical activity (PA), moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA), and sedentary time showed little or no correlation with daily steps. The NPAQ-short subscales' vigorous PA, moderate PA, and MVPA showed little or no correlation. The IPAQ-SF subscales' vigorous PA and walking showed fair correlation. Only the IPAQ-SF metabolic equivalent of task minutes showed moderate to good correlation with daily steps. The IPAQ-SF categories and NPAQ-short categorization of World Health Organization compliance were significantly different, but the magnitudes were small and distributions indicated problems with the categorization.

Conclusion: The concurrent validity is low, as the scores did not reflect objectively measured daily steps.