International Journal of Epidemiology © International Epidemiological Association 1992

Vol. 21, No 5 Printed in Great Britain

Reliability and Validity of SelfReported Physical Activity in Latinos MITCHELL J D R A U H / MELBOURNE F HOVELL," C RICHARD HOFSTETTER.t JAMES F SALLIS* AND ALICE GLEGHORN§

instruments have not been demonstrated in other ethnic groups. Over 19.4 million Latinos reside in the US, an increase of 34.4% between 1980 and 1988.7 The available data indicate Latinos may be less physically active than Anglos.8"" Since Latinos represent the fastest growing, underinvestigated minority, accurate measures of activity are needed for epidemiological studies. The purpose of this study was to test the reliability and validity of six physical activity questionnaires in a Latino sample.

Because of the many health benefits of physical activity,1 accurate measures are needed for epidemiological studies. Self-report questionnaires are most commonly used because they are affordable and provide information about intensity, duration, frequency, and setting.2 Modest levels of reliability/validity have been reported for numerous questionnaires in Caucasian samples.3 For instance, Washburn et al. reported correlations as high as 0.62 between the Harvard Alumni Survey (kcal/week) and sweat episodes.4 Taylor et al. correlated self-reported physical activity over 7 days, categorized by intensity, with an electronic movement and heart rate monitor. Correlations ranged from -0.38 to 0.91, with only measures of hard and very hard activities proving valid.3 Finally, Washburn and Montoye provided a review of physical activity measures with reliability and validity coefficients where available.6 Overall, coefficients show modest reliability/validity for more vigorous physical activity measures when tested in predominantly middle-class Caucasian samples. The reliability and validity of these

METHOD Recruitment Subjects were self-identified Latino, most with Mexican backgrounds; 18-55 years; and had a 'significant other' willing to participate. The following question: 'During the past week, about how many times did you do a physical exercise in your free time for at least 20 minutes without stopping, which was hard enough to make your heart rate and breathing increase a large amount?' was used to classify participants as sedentary (0 times), moderately active (1-2 times), and vigorously active (3 or more episodes per week). Stratification ensured sufficient variance to test hypothesized relationships.

• Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, USA. •• Center for Behavioral Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA 92182-0405, USA. t Center for Behavioral Epidemiology, Department of Political Science, San Diego State University, San Diego, USA. X Center for Behavioral Epidemiology, Department of Psychology, San Diego State University, San Diego, USA. § School of Hygiene and Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, USA. Reprint requests to: Dr M F Hovell.

Subjects Forty-five bicultural Spanish/English-speaking adults (mean age 33 years, SD = 10.6 years) were recruited. Of these 53% were male; 42% were married; most 966

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Rauh M J D (Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of Washington, USA), Hovell M F, Hofstetter C R, Sallis J F and Gleghom A. Reliability and validity of self-reported physical activity in Latinos. International Journal of Epidemiology 1992; 21: 966-971. The reliability and validity of six self-report physical activity measures were assessed in Latino adults. Validity was assessed by caltrac activity monitors, 'significant others', and construct analyses. Vigorous activity measures had higher reliability and validity (e.g. r >0.40, P

Reliability and validity of self-reported physical activity in Latinos.

The reliability and validity of six self-report physical activity measures were assessed in Latino adults. Validity was assessed by caltrac activity m...
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