Department of Sport Science and Sport, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany.
World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe, Copenhagen, Denmark.
PLoS One. 2024 Mar 12;19(3):e0300003. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300003. eCollection 2024.
Accurate and fast measurement of physical activity is important for surveillance. Even though many physical activity questionnaires (PAQ) are currently used in research, it is unclear which of them is the most reliable, valid, and easy to use. This systematic review aimed to identify existing brief PAQs, describe and compare their measurement properties, and assess their level of readability.
We performed a systematic review based on the PRISMA statement. Literature searches were conducted in six scientific databases. Articles were included if they evaluated validity and/or reliability of brief (i.e., with a maximum of three questions) physical activity or exercise questionnaires intended for healthy adults. Due to the heterogeneity of studies, data were summarized narratively. The level of readability was calculated according to the Flesch-Kincaid formula.
In total, 35 articles published in English or Spanish were included, evaluating 32 distinct brief PAQs. The studies indicated moderate to good levels of reliability for the PAQs. However, the majority of results showed weak validity when validated against device-based measurements and demonstrated weak to moderate validity when validated against other PAQs. Most of the assessed PAQs met the criterion of being "short," allowing respondents to complete them in less than one minute either by themselves or with an interviewer. However, only 17 questionnaires had a readability level that indicates that the PAQ is easy to understand for the majority of the population.
This review identified a variety of brief PAQs, but most of them were evaluated in only a single study. Validity and reliability of short and long questionnaires are found to be at a comparable level, short PAQs can be recommended for use in surveillance systems. However, the methods used to assess measurement properties varied widely across studies, limiting the comparability between different PAQs and making it challenging to identify a single tool as the most suitable. None of the evaluated brief PAQs allowed for the measurement of whether a person fulfills current WHO physical activity guidelines. Future development or adaptation of PAQs should prioritize readability as an important factor to enhance their usability.
准确、快速地测量身体活动对于监测非常重要。尽管目前有许多身体活动问卷（PAQ）用于研究，但尚不清楚哪种问卷最可靠、最有效、最易用。本系统评价旨在确定现有的简短 PAQ，描述和比较其测量特性，并评估其可读性水平。
我们根据 PRISMA 声明进行了系统评价。文献检索在六个科学数据库中进行。如果评估了针对健康成年人的简短（即最多三个问题）身体活动或运动问卷的有效性和/或可靠性的文章，则将其纳入。由于研究的异质性，数据以叙述方式进行总结。根据 Flesch-Kincaid 公式计算可读性水平。
共纳入 35 篇发表于英语或西班牙语的文章，评估了 32 种不同的简短 PAQ。研究表明，PAQ 的可靠性处于中等至良好水平。然而，当与基于设备的测量值进行验证时，大多数结果表明有效性较弱，当与其他 PAQ 进行验证时，表明有效性较弱至中等。大多数评估的 PAQ 满足“简短”的标准，允许受访者在一分钟内自行或由采访者完成问卷。然而，只有 17 个问卷的可读性水平表明大多数人都能轻松理解 PAQ。
本综述确定了多种简短的 PAQ，但大多数仅在一项研究中进行了评估。短问卷和长问卷的有效性和可靠性处于可比水平，短问卷可推荐用于监测系统。然而，评估测量特性的方法在研究之间差异很大，限制了不同 PAQ 之间的可比性，使得难以确定单一工具是最合适的。评估的简短 PAQ 中没有一个能够测量一个人是否符合当前世卫组织的身体活动指南。未来 PAQ 的开发或改编应将可读性作为一个重要因素来提高其可用性。
