title: Assessment of the accuracy of physical activity questionnaire occupational data.
abstract: The validity and reliability of occupational physical activity data from survey instruments were determined in 75 men and women (age 23 to 59 years) in white-collar jobs. Data were validated against measures of cardiorespiratory fitness, body fatness, motion detection, pulmonary function, and 12 days of occupational physical activity records. More than 90% of occupational physical activity was spent in light-intensity sitting, standing, and walking. Test-retest reliability was high for most occupational questions (r > or = .63, P < .05). Correlation coefficients between questionnaire data and validation criteria that reflect heavy-intensity physical activity were low (r < .17, P > .05). The modified Tecumseh Occupational Questionnaire and Seven-Day Recall, which classified occupational physical activity in hours per week worked and average level of ratio of associated metabolic rate for a specific activity divided by the resting metabolic rate, on the job, correlated best with physical activity records (r = .11 to .47). Validation of these self-administered questionnaires in populations with a greater diversity of jobs and occupational energy requirements is needed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Education, Exercise, & Sport Science, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599-8700.
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Ainsworth
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Jacobs
authors.forename: A S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Leon
authors.forename: M T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Richardson
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Montoye
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000145:classification; D000328:Adult; D001161:Arteriosclerosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D004734:Energy Metabolism; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007587:Job Description; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D005082:Physical Exertion; D010809:Physical Fitness; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014938:Work Capacity Evaluation