Abstract

Accurate assessment of physical activity is important to studies interested in the relationship between physical activity and other variables. Questionnaires are the only feasible means for large-scale sampling but such self-report measures require validation due to their inherent subjectivity. The Adventist Health Study-2 (AHS-2) survey includes exercise items that were validated in the present investigation. A calibration study examined self-reports of exercise with two phone calls to 1,000 participants in which an interview-assisted 7-day physical activity recall was completed by a random sample of AHS-2 participants. Inter-index correlations both within the survey and between the survey and the 7-day physical activity recall were examined to offer convergent and discriminant validity. Finally, clinical data used to diagnose metabolic syndrome provided a third means of validation by demonstrating an inverse association with physical activity. Weak to strong correlations between the AHS-2 items and the 7-day recall, test-retest reliability, factor analysis, and metabolic syndrome data indicated that the questionnaire possessed an adequate level of validity.

LLU Discipline

Psychology

Department

Psychology

School

Graduate Studies

First Advisor

Kelly R. Morton

Second Advisor

Gary E. Fraser

Third Advisor

Jason E. Owen

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Degree Level

M.A.

Year Degree Awarded

2010

Date (Title Page)

9-2010

Language

English

Library of Congress/MESH Subject Headings

Physical Fitness; Exercise Therapy -- instrumentation; Directly Observed Therapy -- instrumentation; Metabolic Syndrome X -- physiology; Health Behavior -- psychology; Mental Recall; Patient Compliance; Task Performance and Analysis.

Type

Thesis

Page Count

xii; 135

Digital Format

PDF

Digital Publisher

Loma Linda University Libraries

Usage Rights

This title appears here courtesy of the author, who has granted Loma Linda University a limited, non-exclusive right to make this publication available to the public. The author retains all other copyrights.

Collection

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Collection Website

http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/

Repository

Loma Linda University. Del E. Webb Memorial Library. University Archives

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