How physically active are people?

The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (PAQ-A) is an 8-question measure of physical activity over the last week. Some of the questions have multiple parts, so it takes a little longer to complete. The questions measure one variable: overall physical acitvity. This survey can be used to explore relationships between physical activity and variables like stress, working memory, and sleep. Past research suggests that people who report greater friend and family support also report greater physical activity (Wenthe et al., 2009).

Resources:

• Crocker, P. R., Bailey, D. A., Faulkner, R. A., Kowalski, K. C., & McGrath, R. (1997). Measuring general levels of physical activity: preliminary evidence for the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 29(10), 1344-1349.
• Wenthe, P. J., Janz, K. F., & Levy, S. M. (2009). Gender similarities and differences in factors associated with adolescent moderate-vigorous physical activity. Pediatric exercise science, 21(3), 291–304. https://doi.org/10.1123/pes.21.3.291

Parameters

• Language (American English, Español, Français)

Disclaimer
Any languages that are currently offered besides English for this survey are not necessarily validated translations. This survey was translated using Google Translate and verified by members of the community.

What data is collected? How is it scored?
The following variables are recorded:

• PAQa_summary_score: Higher scores mean participants engaged in more physical activity over the last week.

Raw data: 8 questions (some with subquestions) combined into 1 variable (physical activity). The variable's score ranges from 1-5.

Calculation:
The score is determined by averaging the scores of each question, but this process is a little more complicated than typical. First, for question 1, take the mean of all activities (“no” activity being a 1, “7 times or more” being a 5) on the activity checklist to form a total score for question 1. Then, for questions 2 to 7, simply use the reported value that is checked off for each item (the lowest activity response being a 1 and the highest activity response being a 5). Then, for question 8, take the mean of all days of the week (“none” being a 1, “very often” being a 5) to form a total score for question 8. Once you have a value from 1 to 5 for each of the 8 items (items 1 to 8) used in the physical activity composite score, you simply take the mean of these 8 items, which results in the final PAQ-A activity summary score. The question responses range from 1-5, so the average of the scores will also range from 1-5. Additionally, there is a 9th question that can be used to identify students who had unusual activity during the previous week, but this question is NOT used as part of the summary activity score.