It is necessary to efficiently and economically find means to quantify the level of physical activity of the population. Questionnaires are viable and economical; however, their trustworthiness is questionable. This study aimed to determine the reproducibility and validity of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) in elderly men. The sampling was composed of 29 elderly men over the age of 60, average age of 66.6 years (SD = 4.3), who were members of the extension program at the Federal University of Santa Catarina. The instruments used were: a) IPAQ extended version; b) pedometer and c) Bouchard's Physical Activity Diary (PAD). For reproducibility, the IPAQ was applied twice with a 21 day interval (r s = 0.95). The statistical analysis used was Spearman Correlation (r s); Concordance Percentile (%C); Kappa Index (k); and Bland and Altman plot. The sample was divided using the median as criterion. The reproducibility showed a correlation of r s 0.95. The combination between IPAQ and PAD was: r s = 0.38; %C = 69 and k = 0.04. The combination between IPAQ and the Pedometer was: r s = 0.24; %C = 62 and k = 0.19. It was concluded that the validity varied from moderate to low while the reproducibility was adequate.
Measurement; General practice; Surveillance; IPAQ
