Development and Validation Study of a Screening Questionnaire to
Identify People Who Are Physically Inactive
Abstract
Objective: Insufficient physical activity (PA) is a well-known
risk factor for many non-communicable diseases. This study aimed to
develop a screening tool to identify physically inactive people at the
population level and to help social and health care professionals
promote physical activity among people at risk. Methods:
Eighty-five healthy adults wore a hip-worn accelerometer for seven days,
after which they completed several PA questionnaires. These included
some novel and several validated questions on PA. The reliability of
individual questions to identify physically inactive people was assessed
by correlation analysis. Logistic regression analysis was used to find
the combination of questions which best identified physically inactive
people. Results: The highest correlation of the screening
questionnaire with the accelerometer was 0.46 (p < 0.001) for
sedentary behavior and 0.42 (p < 0.001) for total physical
activity, respectively. The best pair of questions on total physical
activity identified 64% of all inactive subjects (MVPA < 150
min/week) based on accelerometer data. Conclusions: The
questionnaires developed for screening PA have a poor correlation with
the accelerometer data. The screening questionnaires roughly describe PA
level among middle-aged participants, but if a more sensitive or
specific method is needed, device-based measurements are recommended.