Reliability and validity of the Mexican teachers physical activity questionnaire (MTPAQ) in a subsample of female Mexican teachers

Abstract

Abstract Background: Reliable and valid instruments are needed to estimate physical activity levels. The purposes of this study were to estimate the reliability and validity of the Physical Activity Questionnaire (MTPAQ) in a subsample of the Mexican Teachers Cohort study.

Methods: We completed telephone interviews and clinical examinations of 82 teachers. Two MTPAQ, five International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)-long form, and two accelerometer (AC) measures were used to determine physical activity levels throughout 24 months. Moderate and walking physical activity (MWPA minweek), vigorous physical activity (VPA minweek), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity minutes per week (MVPA minweek) were estimated for each instrument. Pearson, Intra-class correlations and deattenuated adjustments were used to determine the reliability and validity of MTPAQ.

Results: MWPA and MVPA minweek of MTPAQs were moderately correlated (r 0.54) to minweek of IPAQ-long form. MWPA and MVPA minweek average MTPAQ and MTPAQ1 and average AC, AC1 and AC2 were fairly correlated (r 0.20). A higher correlation was observed when correlation coefficients were attenuated (r 0.32).

Conclusions: MTPAQ1 is a reliable and valid tool to measure physical activity levels.