Development and Assessment of a Neighbourhood International Physical Activity Questionnaire (N-IPAQ)

Abstract

Physical activity is a cornerstone for health, moreover, physical inactivity is independently associated with poor health outcomes. The neighbourhood built environment provides a unique opportunity to address both physical activity and inactivity. Higher walkable neighbourhoods have consistently shown increases in active transportation; however, many of these outcomes have been supported using non-context specific tools (i.e., measures of general physical activity). This project addresses this research gap by developing and testing a neighbourhood specific physical activity questionnaire (N-IPAQ). The N-IPAQ demonstrated reliability through self-administered paper and online formats. Moreover, the N-IPAQ demonstrated construct and concurrent validity using objective measures of neighborhood and physical activity. The N-IPAQ was also able to distinguish physical activity differences between high and low walkable neighborhoods. The use of the N-IPAQ in larger population based research could therefore better elucidate the specific built environment characteristics that foster or hinder physical activity.