Concurrent Validity Between Electronically Administered Physical Activity Questionnaires and Objectively Measured Physical Activity in Danish Community-Dwelling Older Adults

AIM To investigate the concurrent validity of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire-short form (IPAQ-SF) and the Nordic Physical Activity Questionnaire-short (NPAQ-short) when compared with objectively measured daily steps among older adults. METHODS Spearman's ρ between IPAQ-SF and NPAQ-short and objectively measured steps using Garmin Vivofit 3 physical activity monitors. RESULTS A total of 54 participants were included. The IPAQ-SF subscales' moderate physical activity (PA), moderate to vigorous PA (MVPA), and sedentary time showed little or no correlation with daily steps. The NPAQ-short subscales' vigorous PA, moderate PA, and MVPA showed little or no correlation. The IPAQ-SF subscales' vigorous PA and walking showed fair correlation. Only the IPAQ-SF metabolic equivalent of task minutes showed moderate to good correlation with daily steps. The IPAQ-SF categories and NPAQ-short categorization of World Health Organization compliance were significantly different, but the magnitudes were small and distributions indicated problems with the categorization. CONCLUSION The concurrent validity is low, as the scores did not reflect objectively measured daily steps.