Special Interest Project

Development of the Physical Activity Assessment Tool for Use in Medical Settings (SIP 8-04)

Principal Investigator:  Jeannette Gustat, PhD, MPH

This project will enhance and validate the Physical Activity Assessment Tool (PAAT) and will determine its feasibility for use among a broad spectrum of the population.  Interviews with experts in physical activity measurement, primary care research, and health behavior interventions are being conducted to determine what they would like to see in a physical activity assessment and tracking tool.  Based on these interviews, the researchers will revise the PAAT to ensure that its structure and content are valid and to strengthen its accuracy and reliability in measuring frequency, intensity, type, and duration of moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity.  The PAAT will be validated in 132 low-income community members against MIT accelerometers, the Modified Activity Questionnaire, and a 7-day physical activity recall.  The PAAT, along with the Tracking Tool, will be used in six primary care practices with 220 patients to determine the feasibility of and best approach to using them in primary care clinics as a chart variable and tracking tool for prompting and documenting provider counseling on physical activity.