Validity and Reliability of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire in College Students

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Grenda

Study evaluates validity and reliability of the self-administered International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form in college students. One hundred twenty-three undergraduates wore an accelerometer and pedometer for seven consecutive days, completing the IPAQ at week’s end and again 4–6 days later by recalling activity during the monitored period. Spearman correlations and intraclass correlation coefficients assess criterion validity and stability reliability, showing validity correlations of 0.15–0.26 and ICCs of 0.71–0.89. Findings support confident use for health education and promotion.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Validity and Reliability of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire in College Students

Study purpose and design

Criterion validity and stability reliability results

Need for valid instruments and comparison with other questionnaires

Physical activity recommendations and questionnaire limitations

ResearchArticles *Validity and Reliability of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire in College Students Mary K. Dinger, Timothy K. Behrens, and Jennifer L. Han ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine the validity and reliability of the self-administered International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) shortform in college students. One hundred twenty-three undergraduate students (20.8 ± 1.5 years of age, 76% Caucasian, 74% female) wore an accelerometer and pedometer at their waists for seven consecutive days and completed the IPAQ at the end of the week. Approximately 4–6 days later they completed the IPAQ again, recalling their physical activity during the week they wore the monitoring devices. Spearman correlation coefficients and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were calculated to examine criterion validity and stability reliability respectively. Criterion validity correlation coefficients ranged from 0.15 to 0.26 for total weekly time spent in physical activity from the IPAQ and values from the accelerometer and pedometer. The ICCs between the two administrations of the IPAQ ranged from 0.71–0.89. The results of this study indicate that the validity indices of the questionnaire were similar to other self-report physical activity questionnaires and the stability reliability of the questionnaire was acceptable. Health education and promotion professionals can confidently use this questionnaire to assess college students’ participation in physical activity. Participation in physical activity declines significantly during adolescence and young adulthood. 1, 2 There is a steady decrease in physical activity from 9th to 12th grade and approximately 44% of highschool students are either insufficiently physically active or inactive.3 The trend continues among collegestudents with more than 62% being insufficiently active.4 This decline in physical activity is alarming because participation in regular physical activity is associated with numerous physical and emotional health benefits, as well as reduced risk of morbidityandall-cause mortality.2 This reduction in physical activity and the lack of physical activity participation among college students indicates that this population should be targeted for intervention by health education and promotion professionals. Therefore, it is necessary to have valid and reliable instruments to assess physical activity in this population. Questionnaires are commonly used to assess physical activity among college students because they are inexpensive, quick, and easy to administer.5 The psychometric properties of two instruments, the National College Health Risk Behavior Survey physical activity items (NCHRBS) and the 7-Day Physical Activity Recall (7DPAR) have been examined in college students.6, 7 The NCHRBS 4 is a self-administered instrument that requires participantstoreport their frequency of involvement in vigorous, moderate, stretching, and strengthening activities during the previous 7 days. The vigorous and moderate items specify minimum durations of 20 and 30 minutes, respectively. The 7DPAR 8 determines the total time that an individual spends sleeping and being physically active. Specifically, time in moderate, hard, and very hard physical activity is recorded for the morning, afternoon, and evening of the previous seven days.8 Although the 7DPARwasoriginally designed to be interviewer-administered,8, 9 a self-administered version has been successfully used with college students.7 Both questionnaires were reported to have acceptable validity and reliability.6, 7 Current physical activity recommendations state that individuals should partici- Mary K. Dinger, PhD, is associate professor, University of Oklahoma Department of Health and Exercise Science, Huston Huffman Center 117, Norman, OK 73019-6081; E-mail: [mkdinger@ou.edu. Timothy K. Behrens](mkdinger@ou.edu. Timothy K. Behrens), PhD, is assistant professor, University of Utah

FAQs

What was the main purpose of the study?

To examine the validity and reliability of the self-administered IPAQ short form in college students.

How were participants assessed during the study?

Participants wore an accelerometer and pedometer for seven consecutive days and completed the IPAQ at the end of the week, then completed it again 4–6 days later by recalling their activity during monitoring.

What did the results show about the IPAQ?

Criterion validity correlations ranged from 0.15 to 0.26, and ICCs between the two IPAQ administrations ranged from 0.71–0.89, indicating acceptable stability reliability and comparable validity to other self-report instruments.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Grenda