Development of the Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire for the Elderly

This study aimed to develop a reliable and valid questionnaire for measuring the time spent in different types of sedentary behaviors among elderly in their later life. Eighty community-dwelling older adults aged 65 years or above were completed the questionnaire twice over a one-week period, and wore a tri-axial accelerometer during this period. The test-retest reliability over a one-week period was evaluated by paired-sample t-tests and Spearmen’s correlation. Concurrent validity was first examined using Spearman’s correlation by self-reported total sedentary time and accelerometer-assessed sedentary time. Then, the Bland-Altman Plot was utilized to compare the agreement between the self-reported measure and the objective measure. Based on nine types of sedentary behaviors, the mean self-reported total sedentary time was 7.29 ± 3.60 hours/day without napping time (0.64 hours/day). Regarding test-retest reliability, except reading, there were no significant differences in the self-reported total sedentary time and each type of sedentary time between pre- and post-test. Spearmen’s correlation analyses showed that test-retest reliability was satisfactory for taking a nap, computer/internet use, working or volunteering and reading; marginally acceptable for watching TV, eating and hobbies; and poor for chatting, driving/sitting in a car, and others. Total sedentary time (including napping time) on an average day (sum of ten activities) had adequate test-retest reliability. Self-reported total sedentary time was significantly correlated with accelerometer-derived sedentary time, revealing that the concurrent validity was adequate. The Bland-Altman Plot indicated self-reported total sedentary time on average underestimated accelerometer-derived sedentary time by -0.59 hours/day. However, the mean self-reported total sedentary time was not significantly different from mean objective sedentary time. Overall, this study demonstrated the preliminary evidence for the reliability and validity of questionnaire for assessing the sedentary behaviors among Taiwanese older adults.