International Journal of Epidemiology 2002;31:168-174
© International Epidemiological Association 2002
Theory and Methods |
Validity and repeatability of the EPIC-Norfolk Physical Activity Questionnaire
Department of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge Institute of Public Health, Robinson Way, Cambridge CB2 2SR, UK.
Dr Nicholas J Wareham. E-mail: njw1004{at}medschl.cam. ac.uk
Abstract
Background Physical activity is an important lifestyle which is often poorly assessed in epidemiological studies. The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer Study-Norfolk cohort (EPIC-Norfolk), a large population-based cohort study, has developed a comprehensive questionnaire to assess activity in different domains of life aimed at assessing total energy expenditure. We report the repeatability of this instrument and its validity against repeated objective measures of fitness and energy expenditure undertaken throughout the time frame of reference of the questionnaire.
Methods The validity of the instrument was measured in 173 individuals randomly selected from a continuing population-based cohort study. Energy expenditure was assessed by four separate episodes of 4-day heart-rate monitoring, a method previously validated against whole body calorimetry and doubly-labelled water. Cardio-respiratory fitness was assessed by four repeated measures of sub-maximum oxygen uptake. At the end of the 12-month period, participants completed the physical activity questionnaire that assesses past-year activity at home, work and in recreation. Repeatability was assessed in a separate group of 399 randomly selected participants in EPIC who completed the physical activity questionnaire twice with a 3-month interval.
Results The age- and sex-adjusted correlation between the objective measure of daytime energy expenditure and the sum of recreational and occupational reported physical activity (in MET h per week) was 0.28 (P < 0.001). The reported time spent in vigorous activity was correlated with cardio-respiratory fitness (0.16, P < 0.05) and with the proportion of time when energy expenditure was more than five times basal (0.17, P < 0.05). The repeatability of the sum of recreational and occupational reported activity was high, r = 0.73.
Conclusions The indices of physical activity derived from this questionnaire have levels of validity and repeatability comparable to other physical activity instruments that are used in large epidemiological studies and which have undergone such intense development and testing.
Keywords Questionnaire, validity, reliability, exercise, epidemiologic measurements
Accepted 1 August 2001
CiteULike 
Connotea 
Del.icio.us What's this?
This article has been cited by other articles:
|
|
 |
|
  H. J. Martin, H. E. Syddall, E. M. Dennison, C. Cooper, and A. A. Sayer Relationship between customary physical activity, muscle strength and physical performance in older men and women: findings from the Hertfordshire Cohort Study Age Ageing, September 1, 2008; 37(5): 589 - 593. [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. Bingham, R. Luben, A. Welch, Y. L. Low, K. T. Khaw, N. Wareham, and N. Day Associations between dietary methods and biomarkers, and between fruits and vegetables and risk of ischaemic heart disease, in the EPIC Norfolk Cohort Study Int. J. Epidemiol., June 25, 2008; (2008) dyn111v1. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 T. M. Peters, U. Ekelund, M. Leitzmann, D. Easton, R. Warren, R. Luben, S. Bingham, K.-T. Khaw, and N. J. Wareham Physical Activity and Mammographic Breast Density in the EPIC-Norfolk Cohort Study Am. J. Epidemiol., March 1, 2008; 167(5): 579 - 585. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 H. K Neilson, P. J Robson, C. M Friedenreich, and I. Csizmadi Estimating activity energy expenditure: how valid are physical activity questionnaires? Am. J. Clinical Nutrition, February 1, 2008; 87(2): 279 - 291. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 D. Canoy, S. M. Boekholdt, N. Wareham, R. Luben, A. Welch, S. Bingham, I. Buchan, N. Day, and K.-T. Khaw Body Fat Distribution and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Men and Women in the European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition in Norfolk Cohort: A Population-Based Prospective Study Circulation, December 18, 2007; 116(25): 2933 - 2943. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 S. Bingham, R. Luben, A. Welch, N. Tasevska, N. Wareham, and K. T. Khaw Epidemiologic Assessment of Sugars Consumption Using Biomarkers: Comparisons of Obese and Nonobese Individuals in the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer Norfolk Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., August 1, 2007; 16(8): 1651 - 1654. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M.-F. Chan, M. Dowsett, E. Folkerd, S. Bingham, N. Wareham, R. Luben, A. Welch, and K.-T. Khaw Usual Physical Activity and Endogenous Sex Hormones in Postmenopausal Women: The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer-Norfolk Population Study Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., May 1, 2007; 16(5): 900 - 905. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
Y.-L. Low, A. M. Dunning, M. Dowsett, E. Folkerd, D. Doody, J. Taylor, A. Bhaniani, R. Luben, K.-T. Khaw, N. J. Wareham, et al. Phytoestrogen Exposure Is Associated with Circulating Sex Hormone Levels in Postmenopausal Women and Interact with ESR1 and NR1I2 Gene Variants Cancer Epidemiol. Biomarkers Prev., May 1, 2007; 16(5): 1009 - 1016. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 D. R. Shahar, R. Abel, A. Elhayany, H. Vardi, and D. Fraser Does Dairy Calcium Intake Enhance Weight Loss Among Overweight Diabetic Patients? Diabetes Care, March 1, 2007; 30(3): 485 - 489. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
K.-T. Khaw, R. Jakes, S. Bingham, A. Welch, R. Luben, N. Day, and N. Wareham Work and leisure time physical activity assessed using a simple, pragmatic, validated questionnaire and incident cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality in men and women: The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer in Norfolk prospective population study Int. J. Epidemiol., August 1, 2006; 35(4): 1034 - 1043. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
C. M. Friedenreich, K. S. Courneya, H. K. Neilson, C. E. Matthews, G. Willis, M. Irwin, R. Troiano, and R. Ballard-Barbash Reliability and Validity of the Past Year Total Physical Activity Questionnaire Am. J. Epidemiol., May 15, 2006; 163(10): 959 - 970. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 W. Hardeman, S. Sutton, S. Griffin, M. Johnston, A. White, N. J. Wareham, and A. L. Kinmonth A causal modelling approach to the development of theory-based behaviour change programmes for trial evaluation Health Educ. Res., December 1, 2005; 20(6): 676 - 687. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
D. Canoy, R. Luben, A. Welch, S. Bingham, N. Wareham, N. Day, and K. T. Khaw Abdominal Obesity and Respiratory Function in Men and Women in the EPIC-Norfolk Study, United Kingdom Am. J. Epidemiol., June 15, 2004; 159(12): 1140 - 1149. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
M. Wong, N. Day, J. Luan, K. Chan, and N. Wareham The detection of gene-environment interaction for continuous traits: should we deal with measurement error by bigger studies or better measurement? Int. J. Epidemiol., February 1, 2003; 32(1): 51 - 57. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|
|
|
|
|
R. W. Jakes, N. E. Day, B. Patel, K.-T. Khaw, S. Oakes, R. Luben, A. Welch, S. Bingham, and N. J. Wareham Physical Inactivity Is Associated with Lower Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 Second : European Prospective Investigation into Cancer-Norfolk Prospective Population Study Am. J. Epidemiol., July 15, 2002; 156(2): 139 - 147. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]
|
|