Reliability of the Croatian long version of the international physical activity questionnaire

Abstract

Studies have shown satisfactory reliability of different language versions of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). However, to the best of our knowledge, no previous study reported data on reliability of the Croatian version of IPAQ. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine test-retest reliability of IPAQ in Croatia. We assessed physical activity levels using the Croatian long version of IPAQ in a random stratified sample of 122 Croatian adults (60.1% female) aged 15 to 65 years and in a random stratified sample of 133 university students (61.1% female) living in student dormitories in Zagreb. IPAQ was administered on two occasions, 3-4 and 1-2 weeks apart, in the general population and university students, respectively. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients between test and retest data for domain-specific and intensity-specific physical activity levels ranged between.45 and.77 in the general population, and between.49 and.59 in university students. To conclude, the Croatian long version of IPAQ showed satisfactory reliability for measuring domain-specific and intensity-specific physical activity levels. Nevertheless, a significant amount of unsystematic error in the IPAQ results should always be considered when interpreting the results in relational studies.