Reliability and Validity of a Culturally Adaptive Version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire in Indian Subcontinent: A Cross‑sectional Study

Physical activity (PA) is one of the prime public health problems occurring globally. Regular PA is associated with a decrease in all‑causes of mortality irrespective of gender. The study was conducted to investigate the validity and an aspect of reliability of a modified version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) in the Indian subcontinent (InS).

Cross‑sectional study, to evaluate the validity and reliability of the InS IPAQ‑LF compared with a range of biological variables. In total, 198 participants (50% women) with a mean age of 35.6 (SD = 10.3) years selected from neighborhoods with variable socioeconomic status and PA.

The InS IPAQ‑LF demonstrated good test‑retest reliability for total PA (Intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] =0.79, 95% CI 0.65 to 0.82), occupational PA (ICC = 0.77, 95% CI 0.68 to 0.82), active transportation (ICC = 0.82, 95% CI 0.75 to 0.87), and vigorous‑intensity activities (ICC = 0.82, 95% CI 0.76 to 0.87). Reliability was substantially higher for total PA (ICC = 0.80), occupational PA (ICC = 0.78), leisure‑time PA (ICC = 0.75), and active transportation (ICC = 0.80) in men than in women, but domestic PA (ICC = 0.38) and sitting time (ICC = 0.71) demonstrated more substantial reliability coefficients in women than in men.

The InS IPAQ‑LF demonstrated considerate evidence of test‑retest reliability and may be valid for evaluating context specific PA mannerisms of adults in InS.