A PHYSICAL ACTIVITY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR USE WITH OLDER ADULTS

THE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY QUESTIONNAIRE IS THE MOST PRACTICAL AND WIDELY USED APPROACH FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN EPIDEMIOLOGICAL RESEARCH. HOWEVER, PHYSICAL ACTIVITY QUESTIONNAIRES SPECIFIC TO OLDER INDIVIDUALS HAVE NOT BEEN DEVELOPED. VALID AND RELIABLE TECHNIQUES FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN OLDER POPULATIONS ARE NEEDED BEFORE THE RISKS AND BENEFITS ASSOCIATED WITH PARTICIPATION CAN BE ADEQUATELY EVALUATED. THE AIM OF THIS RESEARCH IS TO DEVELOP A PROTOTYPE QUESTIONNAIRE FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN INDIVIDUALS AGE 60 AND OVER. EXISTING ITEMS FOR ASSESSING THE MAJOR DIMENSIONS OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY WILL BE MODIFIED AND EXPANDED. FOLLOWING A CAREFUL EVALUATION BY THE INVESTIGATORS AND A PANEL OF EXPERTS, THE FINAL PROTOTYPE WILL UNDERGO A LIMITED FIELD EVALUATION. THE FINAL PRODUCT WILL BE A PROTOTYPE ACTIVITY QUESTIONNAIRE FOR USE IN OLDER POPULATIONS THAT WILL BE REFINED AND DEVELOPED DURING PHASE II. A QUESTIONNAIRE OF THIS TYPE WILL BE A VALUABLE RESEARCH TOOL FOR BOTH EPIDEMIOLOGICAL AND CLINICAL RESEARCHON THE ROLE OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND HEALTH IN THE ELDERLY.