International Physical Activity Questionnaire – Short Form

What it measures

The most widely used self-report measure of physical activity in epidemiological and health research. Calculates total physical activity in MET-minutes/week and classifies respondents as Low, Moderate, or High activity level. Used extensively in public health, intervention, and clinical research.

Response format

Recall of days and minutes of vigorous, moderate, and walking activity in the past 7 days; expressed in MET-minutes/week

Representative items

• During the last 7 days, on how many days did you do vigorous physical activities like heavy lifting, digging, aerobics, or fast bicycling?
• How much time did you usually spend doing vigorous physical activities on one of those days?
• During the last 7 days, on how many days did you walk for at least 10 minutes at a time?
• During the last 7 days, how much time did you spend sitting on a week day?

Usage notes & scoring

Freely available from www.ipaq.ki.se. MET scoring guidelines available online. Categories: <600 MET-min/week = Low, 600–2999 = Moderate, >=3000 = High physical activity. Criterion validity is modest (r~0.30 with accelerometry) — acceptable for population research but not precision measurement.

Recommended companion scales

Citation

Craig, C.L., Marshall, A.L., Sjöström, M., Bauman, A.E., Booth, M.L., Ainsworth, B.E., et al. (2003). International Physical Activity Questionnaire: 12-country reliability and validity. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 35(8), 1381–1395.

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