Freiburger questionnaire on physical activity - design, validation and application

Aim of the present study was to design a questionnaire to assess health rel ated physical activity, to validate the instrument and to apply it to a pop ulation sample. Reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated test-retest investigations with intervals of two weeks and six months. High correlation s between the repeated administrations reflect a good reliability of our in strument. Only gardening and cycling, as well as the depending basic and to tal activity, showed typically seasonal variations. Validity was establishe d by correlating physical activity data with maximum oxygen uptake. Maximum oxygen uptake correlated with sport activities (partial correlation coeffi cient: r=0.422, p<0.01). Evaluated data were consistent. People rating them selves as "more active than their coevals" were indeed more active in sport (r=0.334, p<0.01) and total activity (r=0.282, p<0.05). Studying activity patterns of a population sample of adult residents of Freiburg (systematic random sampling, n=612, 20-98 years) we found total physical activity of 9, 2 hours per week (median), with activities of low to moderate intensities d ominating. Age and gender are important determinations of the activity patt erns. According to the recommendation of Paffenbarger (2000 kcal/week total physical activity) 40% of the residents of Freiburg did not reach the reco mmended energy expenditure. Compared to the recommendation of the American College of Sports Medicine (1000 kcal/week by training) 63% of the populati on sample were not active enough.