Alternatives for Measuring Sitting Accumulation in Workplace Surveys.

OBJECTIVES To develop and assess the measurement properties of self-report measures of accumulation of sitting time. METHODS Seven candidate measures were collected in 51 workers from three office environments (79% female) via online questionnaire administered immediately before and after 7-day monitoring periods (activPAL3TM 24-h protocol with diary recorded work hours). RESULTS Three measures had some validity (p < 0.05 versus activPAL): % of sitting in long bouts ≥30 min, sitting strategy frequency (0-100), and interruption rate (n/h sitting). Agreement was limited. Some reliability (intraclass correlation or kappa p < 0.05) was seen for these measures, strategy variety (0-100), typical day (5 categories), and making a conscious effort to sit less (yes/no). CONCLUSIONS Two brief and one longer option may suit workplace studies requiring self-report measures of sitting accumulation. Validity was weaker for sitting accumulation than sitting time.