The assessment of physical activity in older women: analysis of the interrelationship and reliability of activity monitoring, activity surveys, and caloric intake.

The interrelationship and reliability of three different activity measures were examined in 76 postmenopausal women. The women wore Large Scale Integrated (LSI) activity monitors, completed the Paffenbarger Activity Survey, and completed 3-day food logs for determination of caloric intake/expenditure. The Paffenbarger survey was assessed twice, a year apart. The results indicated that caloric intake was a very poor index of activity. The LSI activity monitoring and Paffenbarger survey were both effective, reliable measures of physical activity. However, they appeared to measure somewhat different aspects of physical activity. The LSI measured physical activity associated with movement, whereas the surveys measured the intensity component of energy expenditure. The research indicated that it is important to evaluate the characteristics of the activity of interest in order to select a physical activity tool for assessing activity patterns in older women.