Active-Q: Validation of the Web-Based Physical Activity Questionnaire Using Doubly Labeled Water

Abstract

BackgroundIncreased use of the Internet provides new opportunities for collecting data in large studies. The aim of our new Web-based questionnaire, Active-Q, is to assess total physical activity and inactivity in adults. Active-Q assesses habitual activity during the past year via questions in four different domains: (1) daily occupation, (2) transportation to and from daily occupation, (3) leisure time activities, and (4) sporting activities.ObjectiveThe objective of our study is to validate Active-Q’s energy expenditure estimates using the doubly labeled water (DLW) method, and to assess the reproducibility of Active-Q by comparing the results of the questionnaire completed by the same group on two occasions.MethodsThe validity and reproducibility of Active-Q were assessed in a group of 37 individuals, aged 20 to 65 years. Active-Q was distributed via email to the participants. The total energy expenditure of the participants was assessed using DLW for 11 consecutive days.ResultsThe median time to complete Active-Q was 6.1 minutes. The majority of participants (27/37, 73%) reported that the questionnaire was “easy” or “very easy” to answer. On average, Active-Q overestimated the total daily energy expenditure by 440 kJ compared with the DLW. The Spearman correlation between the two methods was r = 0.52 (P < .001). The intraclass correlation coefficient for total energy expenditure between the results of Active-Q completed on two occasions was 0.83 (95% CI 0.73-0.93).ConclusionsActive-Q is a valid and reproducible method of assessing total energy expenditure. It is also a user-friendly method and suitable for Web-based data collection in large epidemiological studies.

The Comparative Validity of Interactive Multimedia Questionnaires to Paper-Administered Questionnaires for Beverage Intake and Physical Activity: Pilot Study

“…Our results are comparable to others who have reported positive feedback with IMM delivery of nutrition education and dietary and physical activity assessments [7,8,12,14], suggesting acceptability and promise for the use of computer-administered surveys in future research. One area for potential improvement in the IMM tools is the speed of narrated text.…”

“…The National Institutes of Health has recognized the need for novel/innovative assessment methods using technological advances in physical activity and dietary assessment (eg, PAR-12-198). There is no consensus to whether a paper-based assessment is superior to a computerized one [11]; however, computer-based tools can provide an alternative means to collect and analyze data [12] and may be appealing to practitioners and researchers because of their proposed benefits. Computer-administered assessments may overcome difficulties sometimes associated with paper-based surveys as they allow for interactivity-two-way communication between computer and participant through photographs, videos, and displayed text with or without audio [7].…”

“…One assesses habitual beverage intake (BEVQ-15) [18], and the other measures usual physical activity level, Stanford Leisure-Time Activity Categorical Item 2.2 (L-Cat) [19]. There are several computerized nutrition education delivery [7,20,21] and dietary assessment tools [8,13,22-28] and a few Web-based physical activity questionnaires [12,29,30] currently available; however, to the best of our knowledge, no computer-based beverage intake questionnaire exists. The recently developed Automated Self-Administered 24-hour Recall [31] is computer-based and does contain questions about beverage intake; however, results on its validity and usability have yet to be published [32].…”

How Valid are Web-Based Self-reports of Weight?

“…Participants were provided with information about the study and gave their written informed consent prior to the start of the study. The study design was previously described in detail by our research group [7]. The study was approved by the research ethics committee at Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.…”

Validation of Web-Based Physical Activity Measurement Systems Using Doubly Labeled Water

“…Responses can be obtained from individuals anywhere and at any time because Web-based systems can be completed using terminal devices, such as cell phones and smartphones. Two recent studies validated Web-based systems for measuring physical activity against the DLW method and found their validity was equivalent to that of traditional questionnaires [11,12]. More accurate Web-based systems for measuring physical activity are required.…”