Development of a reliable measure of walking within and outside the local neighborhood: RESIDE's Neighborhood Physical Activity Questionnaire.
BACKGROUND
The RESIDential Environment project (RESIDE) is a longitudinal study evaluating the impact of a new residential design code on walking.


OBJECTIVE
To develop a reliable measure of walking--undertaken within and outside the neighborhood--and overall physical activity.


METHODS
A test-retest reliability study was undertaken (n = 82, mean age 39 years). The instrument was based on the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ-short version) and Active Australia Survey. It measured usual frequency and duration of (1) recreational- and transport-related walking within and outside the neighborhood and (2) other vigorous and moderate physical activities.


RESULTS
Reliability of recall of whether participants had walked within (k = 0.84) and outside (0.73) the neighborhood was acceptable. Similarly, recall of frequency and duration of transport and recreational-related walking within the neighborhood was excellent (ICC > or = 0.82), as was recall of transport-related walking trips outside the neighborhood (ICC > or = 0.84). Reliability for duration of recreational walking outside the neighborhood was fair to good (ICC = 0.55). The reliability of indices of total physical activity based on MET min/week (ICC = 0.82) and MET min/week dichotomized to 'sufficient' physical activity for health (kappa = 0.67) were both acceptable.


CONCLUSIONS
The Neighborhood Physical Activity Questionnaire (NPAQ) is sufficiently reliable for studies examining environmental correlates of walking within the neighborhood.
School of Population Health, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western 6009, Australia. billie@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
Billie
B
Giles-Corti
Anna
A
Timperio
Hayley
H
Cutt
Terri J
TJ
Pikora
Fiona C L
FC
Bull
Matthew
M
Knuiman
Max
M
Bulsara
Kimberly
K
Van Niel
Trevor
T
Shilton
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004779:Environment Design; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011998:Recreation; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D013037:Spatial Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016138:Walking