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Cited by 3,370Physical Activity and HealthCardiovascular and exercise physiologyContext-Aware Activity Recognition Systems

Validity of the international physical activity questionnaire short form (IPAQ-SF): A systematic review

Open access
Lee, Paul H, Macfarlane, Duncan J, Lam, TH, Stewart, Sunita M·2011·International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
DOI 10.1186/1479-5868-8-115PMC PMC3214824
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Abstract

Background: The International Physical Activity Questionnaire - Short Form (IPAQ-SF) has been recommended as a cost-effective method to assess physical activity. Several studies validating the IPAQ-SF have been conducted with differing results, but no systematic review of these studies has been reported. Methods: The keywords "IPAQ", "validation", and "validity" were searched in PubMed and Scopus. Studies published in English that validated the IPAQ-SF against an objective physical activity measuring device, doubly labeled water, or an objective fitness measure were included. Results: Twenty-three validation studies were included in this review. There was a great deal of variability in the methods used across studies, but the results were largely similar. Correlations between the total physical activity level measured by the IPAQ-SF and objective standards ranged from 0.09 to 0.39; none reached the minimal acceptable standard in the literature (0.50 for objective activity measuring devices, 0.40 for fitness measures). Correlations between sections of the IPAQ-SF for vigorous activity or moderate activity level/walking and an objective standard showed even greater variability (-0.18 to 0.76), yet several reached the minimal acceptable standard. Only six studies provided comparisons between physical activity levels derived from the IPAQ-SF and those obtained from objective criterion. In most studies the IPAQ-SF overestimated physical activity level by 36 to 173 percent; one study underestimated by 28 percent. Conclusions: The correlation between the IPAQ-SF and objective measures of activity or fitness in the large majority of studies was lower than the acceptable standard. Furthermore, the IPAQ-SF typically overestimated physical activity as measured by objective criterion by an average of 84 percent. Hence, the evidence to support the use of the IPAQ-SF as an indicator of relative or absolute physical activity is weak.

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  • Self-reported questionnaires have been shown to be less robust in measuring energy expenditure and MVPA when compared with objective measures.

    “Although the use of these types of questionnaires is widely accepted, self-reported questionnaires have been shown to be less robust in measuring energy expenditure and MVPA when compared with objective measures [98,99].”

    From Consumer-based wearable activity trackers increase physical activity participation: systematic review and meta-analysis (2019) · cites this paper as [98]

    The Discussion reports that IPAQ-SF estimates of moderate and vigorous activity correlated weakly with objective-device measures; Table 4 also shows substantial discrepancies between IPAQ-SF and accelerometer estimates of energy expenditure in several studies. These findings support the comparison for the IPAQ-SF, but the paper does not establish it for self-reported questionnaires generally. The passages in our copy have no page numbers. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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  • Physical activity level was evaluated using the short-form International Physical Activity Questionnaire.

    “Physical activity level was evaluated using the short-form International Physical Activity Questionnaire [19] for the seven days prior to the randomization, as well as dietary consumption using a validated Food Frequency Questionnaire [20].”

    From Effect of mobile health interventions on lifestyle and anthropometric characteristics of uncontrolled hypertensive participants: secondary analyses of a randomized controlled trial (2023) · cites this paper as [19]

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Authors
Lee, P. H., Macfarlane, D. J., Lam, T., & Stewart, S. M.
Affiliations
  • University of Hong Kong (HK)
  • The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center (US)
Corresponding author
Lam, TH
ORCID
Venue
International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2011-10-21
Volume
8
Issue
1
Pages
115-115
ISSN
1479-5868 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1186/1479-5868-8-115
PMC
PMC3214824
OpenAlex
W2155827104
Cited by
3,370
References
58
Citations by year
2026: 372 · 2025: 431 · 2024: 444 · 2023: 380 · 2022: 380 · 2021: 337 · 2020: 275 · 2019: 169 · 2018: 143 · 2017: 116 · 2016: 107 · 2015: 81 · 2014: 63 · 2013: 47 · 2012: 19
FWCI
4.42
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
  • ePrints Soton (University of Southampton) (submittedVersion)
  • The HKU Scholars Hub (University of Hong Kong) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Physical Activity and Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Complementary and alternative medicine › Cardiovascular and exercise physiology
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition › Context-Aware Activity Recognition Systems
Keywords
IPAQ-SF, physical activity measurement, questionnaire validity, self-reported physical activity, doubly labeled water, fitness measures, overestimation of physical activity, vigorous activity, walking
MeSH terms
Physical Exertion, Humans, Physical Fitness, Surveys and Questionnaires, Reproducibility of Results, Exercise, Walking, Validation Studies as Topic

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