title: Physical activity assessment in the general population; validated self-report methods.
abstract: Self-reported questionnaires have been commonly used to assess physical activity levels in large cohort studies. As a result, strong and convincing evidences that physical activity can protect health are widely recognized. However, validation studies using objective measures of physical activity or energy expenditure (double labelled water, accelerometers, pedometers, etc.) indicate that the accuracy and precision of survey techniques are limited. Physical activity questionnaires could fail in estimating particularly non-vigorous physical activity. They have a disproportionate focus on volitional type exercise (i.e. biking, jogging, and walking), while not capturing the activities of daily living and low to moderate intensity movements. Energy expenditure estimates from these data are not recommended. On the other hand, despite objective tools should be the measurement of choice to assess PA level, self-reported questionnaires remain valid, and have many advantages. i.e. low costs. These kind of recalls are designed and validated for different age groups and provide value and important information, mainly about physical activity pattern. Future studies will require more precision and accuracy in physical activity measurement than those provided by traditional survey methods. We can conclude that probably a mixed approach that combines both the objective and subjective techniques involving novel devices and electronic capture of physical activity questionnaires will be more effective.
authors.affiliation: GENUD Toledo Research Group. University of Castilla La Mancha.. ignacio.ara@uclm.es.
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ara
authors.affiliation: ImFINE Research Group. Technical University of Madrid. Department of Health and Human Performance. Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Science-INEF. Technical University of Madrid..
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aparicio-Ugarriza
authors.affiliation: ImFINE Research Group. Technical University of Madrid. Department of Health and Human Performance. Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Science-INEF. Technical University of Madrid..
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Morales-Barco
authors.affiliation: ImFINE Research Group. Technical University of Madrid. Department of Health and Human Performance. Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Science-INEF. Technical University of Madrid..
authors.forename: Wysllenny
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Nascimento de Souza
authors.affiliation: GENUD Toledo Research Group. University of Castilla La Mancha..
authors.forename: Esmeralda
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mata
authors.affiliation: ImFINE Research Group. Technical University of Madrid. Department of Health and Human Performance. Faculty of Physical Activity and Sport Science-INEF. Technical University of Madrid. CIBERobn CB 12/03/30038 (Fisiopatología de la Obesidad y Nutrición). Spain..
authors.forename: Marcela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: González-Gross
mesh_terms: D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D015444:Exercise; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires