title: Measuring workplace travel behaviour: validity and reliability of survey questions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The purpose of this study was to assess the (previously untested) reliability and validity of survey questions commonly used to assess travel mode and travel time.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sixty-five respondents from a staff survey of travel behaviour conducted in a south-western Sydney hospital agreed to complete a travel diary for a week, wear an accelerometer over the same period, and twice complete an online travel survey an average of 21 days apart. The agreement in travel modes between the self-reported online survey and travel diary was examined with the kappa statistic. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to examine agreement of travel time from home to workplace measured between the self-reported online survey and four-day travel diary. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) time of active and nonactive travellers was compared by t-test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was substantial agreement between travel modes (K = 0.62, P < 0.0001) and a moderate correlation for travel time (ρ = 0.75, P < 0.0001) reported in the travel diary and online survey. There was a high level of agreement for travel mode (K = 0.82, P < 0.0001) and travel time (ρ = 0.83, P < 0.0001) between the two travel surveys. Accelerometer data indicated that for active travellers, 16% of the journey-to-work time is MVPA, compared with 6% for car drivers. Active travellers were significantly more active across the whole workday.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The survey question "How did you travel to work this week? If you used more than one transport mode specify the one you used for the longest (distance) portion of your journey" is reliable over 21 days and agrees well with a travel diary.
authors: Health Promotion Service, Sydney and South Western Sydney Local Health Districts, Level 9 North, King George V Building, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Missenden Road, Camperdown, NSW 2050, Australia. nicholas.petrunoff@sswahs.nsw.gov.au
authors: Nicholas A
authors: NA
authors: Petrunoff
authors: Huilan
authors: H
authors: Xu
authors: Chris
authors: C
authors: Rissel
authors: Li Ming
authors: LM
authors: Wen
authors: Hidde P
authors: HP
authors: van der Ploeg
mesh_terms: D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D009043:Motor Activity; D009517:New South Wales; D009862:Online Systems; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014186:Transportation; D014195:Travel; D017132:Workplace
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