Methodology to evaluation the habitual physical activity in men aged 50 years or more

Objective To describe the methodology for evaluating habitual physical activity that was adopted for a survey among the male population utilizing a questionnaire validated earlier. Methods The Baecke questionnaire on habitual physical activity was translated into Portuguese and then back-translated into English by two anglophone teachers. The final version of the questionnaire was applied in a cross-sectional epidemiological study done on 326 men aged 50 years or over. The internal consistency among the questions was evaluated using the Cronbach a statistic. The Spearman correlation coefficients between the habitual physical activity scores were calculated. Partial correlation coefficients with adjustments for age, body mass index and schooling were also calculated. Results There was satisfactory internal consistency in relation to the magnitudes of occupational physical activity and leisure-time physical exercises. Significant correlation was obtained between all the physical activity scores and the total habitual physical activity score, independent of age, body mass index and schooling. Conclusions The Baecke questionnaire was found to be a practical instrument for assessing habitual physical activity that is quickly applied and easily understood, and it is recommended for epidemiological studies in Brazil.