The Godin-Shephard Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire: Validity Evidence Supporting its Use for Classifying Healthy Adults into Active and Insufficiently Active Categories

This study provided validity evidence for the Godin-Shephard Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire (GSLTPAQ) to classify respondents into active and insufficiently active categories. Members of a fitness center [45 women and 55 men; mean (SD) age = 45.5 (10.6) yr.] completed the questionnaire. Using only moderate and strenuous scores, those with a leisure score index ≥ 24 were classified as active; those with a score ≤ 23 were classified as insufficiently active. VO2max, percentage of body fat, and electronic records of fitness center attendance were the validation variables. In a visit to the fitness center, participants completed the GSLTPAQ and a certified exercise specialist performed a physical fitness evaluation. A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) indicated the group of respondents classified as active had higher VO2max and lower percentage of body fat than the group of respondents classified as insufficiently active. An analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated the group of respondents classified as active had higher electronic records of fitness center attendance than the group of respondents classified as insufficiently active. Therefore, these pieces of validity evidence support the use of the questionnaire's classification system among healthy adults.

[1]  Roy J. Shephard,et al.  Leisure Time Exercise Questionnaire , 2015 .

[2]  G. Dunton,et al.  Clustering of modifiable biobehavioral risk factors for chronic disease in US adults: a latent class analysis , 2014, Perspectives in public health.

[3]  G. Godin,et al.  Validation of Using Fitness Center Attendance Electronic Records to Assess the Frequency of Moderate/Vigorous Leisure-Time Physical Activity Among Adults , 2014 .

[4]  P. Angerer,et al.  Physical activity and risk of cardiovascular disease: what does the new epidemiological evidence show? , 2013, Current opinion in cardiology.

[5]  L. Brawley,et al.  Concurrent self-regulatory efficacy as a mediator of the goal: Exercise behaviour relationship , 2013, Journal of health psychology.

[6]  J. Vanhelst,et al.  Concurrent Validity of the Modified International Physical Activity Questionnaire for French Obese Adolescents , 2013, Perceptual and motor skills.

[7]  Ulf Ekelund,et al.  A systematic review of reliability and objective criterion-related validity of physical activity questionnaires , 2012, International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.

[8]  C. Rock,et al.  Higher physical fatigue predicts adherence to a 12-week exercise intervention in women with elevated blood pressure. , 2012, Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association.

[9]  C. Bouchard,et al.  Why Study Physical Activity and Health , 2012 .

[10]  L. Mâsse,et al.  Sources of validity evidence needed with self-report measures of physical activity. , 2012, Journal of physical activity & health.

[11]  N. Owen,et al.  Reported physical activity and sedentary behavior: why do you ask? , 2012, Journal of physical activity & health.

[12]  Barbara Sternfeld,et al.  A systematic approach to selecting an appropriate measure of self-reported physical activity or sedentary behavior. , 2012, Journal of physical activity & health.

[13]  Matthias Egger,et al.  Domains of physical activity and all-cause mortality: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of cohort studies. , 2011, International journal of epidemiology.

[14]  D. Lau,et al.  The effects of a supplemental, theory-based physical activity counseling intervention for adults with type 2 diabetes. , 2011, Journal of physical activity & health.

[15]  B. Franklin,et al.  American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Quantity and quality of exercise for developing and maintaining cardiorespiratory, musculoskeletal, and neuromotor fitness in apparently healthy adults: guidance for prescribing exercise. , 2011, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[16]  Claude Bouchard,et al.  Trends over 5 Decades in U.S. Occupation-Related Physical Activity and Their Associations with Obesity , 2011, PloS one.

[17]  Gaston Godin,et al.  The Godin-Shephard Leisure-Time Physical Activity Questionnaire , 2011 .

[18]  B. Sternfeld,et al.  Physical activity questionnaire comprehension: lessons from cognitive interviews. , 2009, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[19]  M. Tremblay,et al.  A comparison of direct versus self-report measures for assessing physical activity in adults: a systematic review , 2008, The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity.

[20]  Jo Salmon,et al.  Physical activity and likelihood of depression in adults: a review. , 2008, Preventive medicine.

[21]  Peter R. Giacobbi,et al.  Age and Activity-Level Differences in the Use of Exercise Imagery , 2007 .

[22]  Edgar Erdfelder,et al.  G*Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences , 2007, Behavior research methods.

[23]  A. Manley.  Physical Activity And Health: A Report Of The Surgeon General , 2004 .

[24]  Validation of a new method for estimating VO2max based on VO2 reserve. , 2004, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[25]  Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij,et al.  Addressing overreporting on the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) telephone survey with a population sample , 2003, Public Health Nutrition.

[26]  B E Ainsworth,et al.  Estimation of energy expenditure from physical activity measures: determinants of accuracy. , 2001, Obesity research.

[27]  B E Ainsworth,et al.  Quantifying energy expenditure and physical activity in the context of dose response. , 2001, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[28]  P. Oja,et al.  Dose response between total volume of physical activity and health and fitness. , 2001, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[29]  R. Ross,et al.  Physical activity, total and regional obesity: dose-response considerations. , 2001, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[30]  G. Fellingham,et al.  A Modified Submaximal Cycle Ergometer Test Designed to Predict Treadmill VO2max , 2000 .

[31]  T. Baumgartner.  Estimating the Stability Reliability of a Score , 2000 .

[32]  W. Satariano,et al.  Association between self-reported leisure-time physical activity and measures of cardiorespiratory fitness in an elderly population. , 1998, American journal of epidemiology.

[33]  J. Roitman,et al.  ACSM's Resource Manual for Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription , 1998 .

[34]  C. Friedenreich,et al.  Relationship between exercise pattern across the cancer experience and current quality of life in colorectal cancer survivors. , 1997, Journal of alternative and complementary medicine.

[35]  M. Fogelholm,et al.  Comparison of body composition methods: a literature analysis , 1997, European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

[36]  S. West,et al.  Experimental personality designs: analyzing categorical by continuous variable interactions. , 1996, Journal of personality.

[37]  S. Greenland.  Dose‐Response and Trend Analysis in Epidemiology: Alternatives to Categorical Analysis , 1995, Epidemiology.

[38]  P S Freedson,et al.  Comparison of activity levels using the Caltrac accelerometer and five questionnaires. , 1994, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[39]  B E Ainsworth,et al.  A simultaneous evaluation of 10 commonly used physical activity questionnaires. , 1993, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[40]  W. Kohrt,et al.  Effects of gender, age, and fitness level on response of VO2max to training in 60-71 yr olds. , 1991, Journal of applied physiology.

[41]  D. Cunningham,et al.  Exercise training and "ventilation threshold" in elderly. , 1986, Journal of applied physiology.

[42]  C. Caspersen,et al.  Physical activity, exercise, and physical fitness: definitions and distinctions for health-related research. , 1985, Public health reports.

[43]  R. Shephard,et al.  A simple method to assess exercise behavior in the community. , 1969, Canadian journal of applied sport sciences. Journal canadien des sciences appliquees au sport.

[44]  F. Kasch.  The Validity of the Astrand and Sjostrand Submaximal Tests , 1984 .

[45]  R A Carleton,et al.  Assessing VO2max in epidemiologic studies: modification of the Astrand-Rhyming test. , 1982, Medicine and science in sports and exercise.

[46]  J. R. Landis,et al.  The measurement of observer agreement for categorical data. , 1977, Biometrics.

[47]  J. Durnin,et al.  Body fat assessed from total body density and its estimation from skinfold thickness: measurements on 481 men and women aged from 16 to 72 Years , 1974, British Journal of Nutrition.

[48]  I. Åstrand.  Aerobic work capacity in men and women with special reference to age. , 1960, Acta physiologica Scandinavica. Supplementum.

[49]  P. Åstrand,et al.  A nomogram for calculation of aerobic capacity (physical fitness) from pulse rate during sub-maximal work. , 1954, Journal of applied physiology.