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Table 3 Performance of the IPAQ-SF within specific levels of activity: Correlations between objective/fitness measures and physical activity sub-scores at different levels of intensity from 15 studies

From: Validity of the international physical activity questionnaire short form (IPAQ-SF): A systematic review

Reference

Objective standard

Objective standard unit

IPAQ-SF intensity (min/wk) (ρ)

Re-categorization by the investigators

   

Vigorous

Moderate

Walking

 

Ishikawa-Takata 2008 [28]

Doubly labeled water

TEE

   

/(3 categories)‡

  

PAL

   

* (3 categories) ‡

Lachat 2008 [35]

accelerometer

Count

0.29

-0.01

  

Mader 2006 [36]1

accelerometer

Count

-0.18

0.23

0.42 b

0.43 (moderate + walking)

Dinger 2006 [25]2

accelerometer

Step

0.30

0.14

  

Kolbe-Alexander 2006 [43]3

accelerometer

Count

 

0.37†

0.57a

 
    

0.08††

0.42††b

 

Rangul 2008 [23]4

accelerometer

TEE

   

0.09 (3 categories) ‡

  

PAL

   

0.03 (3 categories) ‡

Kurtze 2008 [34]5

accelerometer

AEE

0.05

0.16

  
  

PAL

0.08

0.14

  

Mader 2006 [36]1

accelerometer

Vigorous PA min/wk (Swartz)

-0.03

   

Dinger 2006 [25]2

accelerometer

Vigorous + moderate 10-min bout

0.44 b

0.19

  
  

Vigorous PA min/wk

0.47 b

   

Cust 2009 [40]6

accelerometer

Vigorous PA min/wk

0.28#

   
   

0.32##

   

Timperio 2004 [42]7

accelerometer

Vigorous PA min/wk

0.15¶

   
   

0.28¶¶

   

Kolbe-Alexander 2006 [43]3

accelerometer

Vigorous count (Freedson)

0.43b

   
   

0.05††

   

Ramirez-Marrero 2010 [38]8

accelerometer

Moderate PA min/wk (Freedson)

0.23

-0.03

  
  

Vigorous + moderate min/wk (Freedson)

   

0.15 (Vigorous + moderate min/wk)

Mader 2006 [36]1

accelerometer

Moderate PA min/wk (Swartz)

 

0.38

0.27

0.39 (moderate + walking)

Dinger 2006 [25]2

accelerometer

Moderate PA min/wk

 

0.23

  

Cust 2009 [40]6

accelerometer

Moderate PA min/wk

 

0.34#

 

0.32# (moderate + walking)

    

0.01##

 

0.08## (moderate + walking)

Timperio 2004 [42]7

accelerometer

Moderate PA min/wk

 

0.13¶

  
    

0.27¶¶

  

Kolbe-Alexander 2006 [43]3

accelerometer

Moderate PA min/wk

 

0.31†

0.56a

 
    

-0.09††

0.08††

 

Ramirez-Marrero 2010 [38]8

pedometer

Count

0.16

0.76 a

 

0.18 (vigorous + moderate min/wk)

De Cocker 2009 [30]

pedometer

Count

0.20

0.33

0.15

 

Deng 2008 [20]

pedometer

Count

-0.09

0.05

0.51 a

 

Dinger 2006 [25]2

pedometer

Count

0.38

0.17

  

Reference

Fitness measure

Fitness measure unit

IPAQ-SF intensity (min/wk) (ρ)

Re-categorization by the investigators

   

Vigorous

Moderate

Walking

 

Papathanasiou 2010 [37]

Treadmill

Maximum time endured

0.43 b

0.16

  

Rangul 2008 [25]4

VO2max

Walking distance

   

0.32 (3 categories)

Kurtze 2008 [34]5

VO2max

ml/kg/min

0.41 b

0.19

  

Mader 2006 [36]1

VO2max

ml/kg/min

  

0.29

 

Fogelholm 2006 [41]

VO2max

ml/kg/min

*‡‡‡

  

* (5 categories) ‡‡

Egeland 2008 [44]

Body fat

Percentage

-0.26

   

Fogelholm 2006 [41]

Sit-ups

Maximum number

*‡‡‡

  

* (5 categories) ‡‡

 

Push-up

Maximum number

*‡‡‡

  

* (5 categories) ‡‡

 

Squats

Maximum number

*‡‡‡

  

* (5 categories) ‡‡

  1. AEE: average energy expenditure
  2. TEE: total energy expenditure;
  3. PAL: physical activity level (TEE/basal metabolic rate)
  4. MET: metabolic equivalent task
  5. MET min/wk (Swartz): moderate PA: 574≤ count/min ≤4945, vigorous PA: count/min > 4945
  6. MET min/wk (Freedson): moderate PA: 1952≤ count/min ≤5724, vigorous PA: count/min > 5724
  7. Studies cited more than once have been identified with the same superscript number
  8. 3 categories‡: novel definition [23] of: low, moderate, high
  9. 5 categories‡‡: novel definition [36] of five quintiles according to IPAQ-SF total MET score (‡‡)/time spent on vigorous activity (‡‡‡)
  10. a: moderate effect size (0.5 - 0.79)
  11. b: approaching moderate effect size (0.4 - 0.49)
  12. †/††: male/female
  13. #/##: high/low confidence
  14. ¶/¶¶: with/without logbook
  15. *: significant (p <0.05) between-category difference from ANOVA test
  16. /: nonsignificant (p > 0.05) between-category difference from ANOVA test