Abstract
Aim
The objective of this study was to test whether the recently developed ALPHA (Instruments for Assessing Levels of Physical Activity and Fitness) environmental questionnaire for Europe is a reliable and valid instrument to assess perceptions of the physical environment in a German population.
Subject and methods
We conducted a survey at the University of Stuttgart. One hundred five participants (mean age 27.5 years, SD = 9.7; 68.1% men) were contacted by e-mail and filled in a computer-assisted self-administered version of the ALPHA environmental questionnaire and of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire long version. We calculated bivariate Pearson correlations between environmental sum scores and domain—as well as intensity-specific PA. After 1 week, we contacted all participants a second time by e-mail. All in all, 42 participants answered the German version of the ALPHA environmental questionnaire twice. We calculated intra-class correlations to assess test-retest stability.
Results
Most of the scales and items of the ALPHA environmental questionnaire showed a moderate to good test-retest reliability. Domain- and intensity-specific PA correlated with different attributes of the physical environment. The correlations were low, but pointed in the expected direction.
Conclusion
The computer-assisted self-administered German version of the ALPHA environmental questionnaire appears to be a recommendable instrument to assess the perceived environment of a neighborhood for young adults. More representative studies across Europe are essential to finally determine the validity and reliability of this questionnaire.
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Bucksch, J., Spittaels, H. Reliability and validity findings of the ALPHA environmental questionnaire in Germany. J Public Health 19, 417–423 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-011-0416-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-011-0416-4