Reliability, validity and cross-cultural adaptation of the turkish version of the physical activity questionnaire for adolescents

Abstract

Purpose: The small number of Turkish versions of questionnaires assess the level of physical activity of adolescents creates a need for a valid, reliable, inexpensive and practical questionnaire for large-scale studies. This study aimed to investigate the validity, reliability, and cross-cultural adaptation of the Turkish version of the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A). Methods: The 150 adolescent students between the ages of 14 and 18 years (age=15.67±0.83 years) were included in the study. Test-retest and internal consistency analyses were performed to evaluate reliability using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) method. Total step counts were recorded for one week using an electronic pedometer to assess the questionnaire's convergent validity. The relationship between total score obtained from PAQ-A and total step counts recorded by the pedometer Results: Cronbach's alpha value was found to be 0.86 for the entire questionnaire, indicating a questionnaire's high internal consistency. The ICC values for test-retest reliability were found to be within the range of 0.71 to 0.99, indicating that test-retest results were highly correlated. There was a moderate, positive and statistically significant (r=0.527, p<0.001) correlation between total score obtained from the questionnaire and total step counts measured by pedometer for one week. Conclusion: The Turkish version of the PAQ-A is valid and reliable. Therefore, it may be advisable to use the PAQ-A to measure adolescents' physical activity levels during school periods.