Physical Activity Self-Report

The ACT24 is a web-based data collection instrument that allows participants to self-report their activity in the past 24 hours. Participants completed the ACT24 six times during the study with two months between tasks (administrations). At each assigned interval, the study center contacted participants and asked them to complete the ACT24 within 24 hours. Participants received email and telephone reminders from the study center to complete the ACT24. If the participant did not complete the ACT24 in the specified timeframe, it was reassigned three to five days after the missed completion date. An ACT24 administration was reassigned up to two times within the month before it was considered incomplete. In summary: each participant was allowed three attempts, assigned on different days, to complete the assigned ACT24 task for each interval. A few participants provided more than one complete ACT24 within a specified timeframe.

ACT24 data are provided in multiple files and formats:

• 5-minute epoch files (contain multiple activities occurring within a 5 minute block and related MET information)
  • First complete ACT24 within scheduled timeframe (act24_5min.sas7bdat)
  • Additional complete ACT24s within scheduled timeframe (act24_5min_secondary_complete.sas7bdat)
  • Incomplete ACT24s (act24_5min_not_complete.sas7bdat)
• Per Activity files (contain additional detailed information about each activity)
  • First complete ACT24 within scheduled timeframe (act24_activity.sas7bdat)
  • Additional complete ACT24s within scheduled timeframe (act24_activity_secondary_complete.sas7bdat)
  • Incomplete ACT24s (act24_activity_not_complete.sas7bdat)
• Respondent files (contain information about participant interface with web-based system)

All free-text responses provided by participants have been removed from these data files. Activities with free-text responses were reviewed and either placed into existing activities defined by the ACT24, or in newly created activity levels if no appropriate predefined activity existed.

The ACT24 web tool provides MET levels according to the 2000 Compendium of Physical Activities. An up-converted set of MET levels using the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities is also provided in these datasets.

Click here for data dictionaries and formats for the ACT24 files. Datasets can be obtained by submitting a request.

Summary

• Self-reported activity data
• 6 24-hour recalls approximately 2 months apart
• ~935 participants with 1st completed recalls

Available Data

• 5-Minute Files
  • Primary activity
  • Additional activities
  • MET Level, posture, intensity
  • Time/sequence
• Activity Files
  • MET Level, posture, intensity
  • Time/sequence
  • Additional non-MET-related activity details (with whom, for what purpose, other specifics)
• ACT24 Respondent: Person
  • Number of tasks attempted, total number of attempts, and total number of sessions
  • Time spent and number of sessions for each task and overall, for each of three measures:
    • The first complete attempt, if any, for each task
    • All attempts at each task until a complete attempt, or until the last attempt if none were complete
    • Total time spent for each task, including incomplete, first complete, and additional complete attempts
  • Arrays of tasks, summarizing data from the ACT 24 Respondent Task file
• ACT24 Respondent: Task
  • Number of attempts
  • Time spent, number of sessions, and completion status for each attempt
  • Summary of time spent and number of sessions for the task, for each of three measures:
    • The first complete attempt, if any, for the task
    • All attempts at the task until a complete attempt, or until the last attempt if none were complete
    • All attempts for the task, including incomplete, first complete, and additional complete attempts
  • Link to the 5 Minute file for the related activity data
• ACT24 Accounting
  • One record per person in the study
  • ACT24 compliance and timing

The AARP Physical Activity Questionnaire asked participants to recall the time spent engaging in household, leisure time, transportation, and sedentary activities over the past 12 months.

Click here for data dictionaries and formats for the PAQ-AARP files. Datasets can be obtained by submitting a request.

Summary

• Self-reported activity data
• Recalls last 12 months
• 2 administrations in the 3^rd and 9^th months
• ~925 participants with results
  • ~710 completed both administrations
  • ~150 completed only the 1^st
  • ~70 completed only the 2^nd

Available Data

• Weekly and daily hours for each activity
• METS for each activity calculated from the weekly hours for each activity (daily activities were calculated to weekly by x7)
• Overall summary of METs and subtotals of types of activities
  • Sum energy cost of all active behavior questions (MET-hrs/week): All of question 1's activities METs
  • Sum energy cost of household activities (MET-hrs/week): Light house chores + Moderate to vigorous household chores + Home repairs + Caring for children + Caring for adult
  • Sum energy cost of lawn/garden activities (MET-hrs/week): Moderate outdoor chores + Vigorous outdoor chores
  • Sum energy cost of leisure activities (MET-hrs/week): Walking for exercise + Jogging or running + Swimming + Playing tennis, squash, or racquetball + Playing golf + Bicycling + Other aerobic exercise + Weight training
  • Sum energy cost of light activities (MET-hrs/week): Light house chores + Walking for other daily activities
  • Sum energy cost of moderate activities (MET-hrs/week): Moderate to vigorous household chores + Moderate outdoor chores + Home repairs + Caring for children + Caring for another adult + Walking for exercise + Playing golf + Weight lifting
  • Sum energy cost of vigorous activities (MET-hrs/week): Vigorous outdoor chores + Jogging or running + Swimming + Playing tennis, squash or racquetball + Bicycling + Other aerobic exercise
  • Sum energy cost of all active and sedentary activities (MET-hrs/week): All of question 1's METs + 7 * all of question 2's METs

The Community Health Activities Model Program (CHAMPS) physical activity questionnaire is a self-administered computer questionnaire designed for older adults. Participants were asked to recall if they engaged in 40 specific activities in the last 4 weeks. The weekly frequency and duration were asked for each activity completed.

Click here for data dictionaries and formats for the CHAMPS file. Datasets can be obtained by submitting a request.

Summary

• Self-reported activity data
• Recalls last 4 weeks
• 2 administrations in the 1^st & 6^th months
• ~930 participants with results
  • ~485 completed both administrations
  • ~90 completed only the 1^st
  • ~360 completed only the 2^nd

Available Data

• Overall summary of Caloric Expenditures per week
  • Caloric expenditure for all activities
  • Caloric expenditures for all exercise-related activities
  • Caloric expenditure for all moderate-intensity exercise-related activities (Exercise-related activities with MET value >= 3)
• Caloric Expenditures for each activity
• METs for each activity
• Duration for each activity
• Weekly frequencies for each activity

The Harvard Physical Activity Questionnaire asked participants to recall the time spent engaging in various physical and sedentary activities over the past 12 months. The Harvard Physical Activity Questionnaire is a subset of a questionnaire given out for the Harvard Alumni Health Study in 1962. The questionnaire quantifies each participant's activity level estimates energy expenditure per activity and at various energy levels, light intensity, moderate, vigorous, active, or sedentary.

Click here for data dictionaries and formats for the PAQ-Harvard files. Datasets can be obtained by submitting a request.

Summary

• Self-reported activity data
• Recalls last 12 months
• 1 administrations in the 12^th month
• ~770 participants with results

Available Data

• Average hours of various exercises per week in the past year
• METs for each activity calculated from the weekly hours for each activity
• Overall summary of METs and subtotals of types of activities

The Stanford Brief Activity Survey, Stanford PAQ, asked participants two questions about typical physical activity associated with a participant’s job/household and leisure time activities over the past year. It then scores participants and puts them into an activity category. The survey was given to participants twice, 6 months apart. Click here for more information on The Stanford Brief Activity Survey.

Click here for data dictionaries and formats for the PAQ-Stanford files. Datasets can be obtained by submitting a request.

Summary

• Self-reported activity data
• Recalls last 12 months
• 2 administrations in the 1^st and 6^th months or the 6^th and 12^th months
• ~925 participants with results
  • ~650 completed both administrations
  • ~160 completed only the 1^st
  • ~100 completed only the 2^nd

Available Data

• Leisure Activity Level
• On the Job/Household Chores Activity Level
• Activity Level Category