Table 4 Strategies participants used for determining frequency and duration of their activities
From: What do IPAQ questions mean to older adults? Lessons from cognitive interviews
Strategies | Activities most affected |
|---|---|
For determining frequency | |
Count the number of days the activity was done in the previous week | VPA, MPA, walking |
Subtract the number of days that the activity was not done in the previous week from 7 days* | VPA, MPA, walking |
Report the specific or minimum number of days the activity was performed in a "normal" or "average" week | VPA, MPA, walking |
Estimate or guess based on a "normal" or "average" week | MPA, walking |
Report the activity was done daily because it was required as part of living | MPA, walking |
For determining duration | |
Sum duration of activities of the previous week, and then average across the days the physical activity was done | VPA, MPA, walking, sitting |
Sum duration of the activity that was done the most often during the previous week* | VPA, MPA, walking |
Estimate average time spent sitting during a typical day in a "normal" or "average" week | Sitting |
Estimate the proportion of a typical day spent sitting in a "normal" or "average" week | Sitting |
Subtract from 24 hours the time spent sleeping and doing other types of activities in a "normal" or "average" week, to arrive at time spent sitting | Sitting |
Sum minimum or maximum amount of time spent doing the activity on a typical day in a "normal" or "average" week* | VPA, MPA, walking |
Select a particular day from the previous week (e.g., the easiest day to remember, the most enjoyable day, the day that the most activity was performed) and use one of the following strategies to compute time on that day | VPA, MPA, walking, sitting |
• Recall typical duration of the activity | VPA, MPA, walking |
• Guess the duration | MPA, walking, sitting |
• Recall typical duration of some activities and guess the duration of others | MPA, walking, sitting |
Combine two or more strategies because time in some activities is known and time in other activities is not known | VPA, MPA, walking, sitting |
Do not provide an answer because unable to develop a strategy to answer question | Walking, sitting |