A Comparison of Self Reported Physical Activity and ActiGraph Recorded Physical Activity Amongst Young Adults

Introduction. A quick, inexpensive, and noninvasive method to assess the physical activity (PA) level of an individual is to use a questionnaire in which a subject recalls their usual weekly activity. The information from the questionnaire can then be compared to healthy guidelines and the PA level of the subject can be determined. Although efficient, questionnaires are highly subjective and their accuracy can vary. Discussion. It was hypothesized that young adults would underestimate their physical activity, but these subjects were not able to accurately report their PA. This outcome could be due to the level of specificity of the CHAMPS questionnaire. Questions should be more targeted and inquire about all possible activities the subjects might overlook. The majority (3 out of 4) physically inactive subjects were not able to correctly classify their PA level.