Concurrent validity of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) in an liyiyiu Aschii (Cree) community

BACKGROUND: Culturally acceptable and validated instruments for assessing physical activity among Indigenous Peoples are lacking. Given the current trends in obesity, health behaviour surveillance tools are needed to evaluate trends and to determine the effectiveness of health promotion efforts aimed at curbing the obesity epidemic. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) scores correlate with anthropometric indices in an liyiyiu Aschii community (Cree Territory of northern Quebec, Canada). METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out in a Cree community as part of a larger research effort entitled, "Nituuchischaayihitaau Aschii: A Multi-Community Environment-and-Health Longitudinal Study in liyiyiu Aschii". Randomly selected adult participants (n = 161) underwent an anthropometric assessment and answered the IPAQ which was administered by bilingual research assistants. Concurrent validity of the IPAQ was evaluated by the extent to which the physical activity scores were related to anthropometric measures. RESULTS: Significant inverse correlations were observed between the IPAQ Total MET score and % body fat (r = -.19, p < or = 0.01) and the IPAQ Vigorous MET score and % body fat (r = -.26, p < or = 0.001), but not for waist circumference or BMI. Walkers (6-7 days/wk for > or = 60 minutes/day), however, had a waist circumference that was, on average, 5 cm smaller than non-walkers in age- and sex-adjusted linear regression analyses (beta = -4.97; SE = 2.5; p < or = 0.05). DISCUSSION: The results indicate that the IPAQ holds promise as a culturally adaptable questionnaire for the liyiyiuch. However, modifications will help improve its acceptability for community members.