Surveying Adults’ Physical Activity and Weight Control Behaviors

University of South Carolina: Prevention Research Center

Topics:
Nutrition & Physical Activity for Adults | Obesity & Overweight

Experts in physical activity developed and tested questions that can be used in national surveys to determine respondents’ physical activity and weight control behaviors. Activities included designing questions to assess occupational activity, developing a survey module to collect data on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) approaches to weight control, and preparing a surveillance tool that integrates measures of physical activity and weight control practices. For testing, the survey was administered by telephone to 8,000 English- and Spanish-speaking adults, and the results were compared with those from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. The overall aim is to improve understanding about how surveys measure physical activity and weight control behaviors, the relation between these behaviors, and how they contribute to obesity.

 

Back to Research Projects