Psychometric Properties of the Online International Physical Activity Questionnaire in College Students.

INTRODUCTION: Due to the restrictions imposed to control the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in studies based on online surveys. However, there are important concerns about the validity and generalizability of results from online surveys. Thus, we aimed to test the reliability and validity of the online version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire short form (IPAQ-SF) among college students from low-income regions. METHODS: This was a methodological feasibility study with a random stratified sample from a college located in the state of Maranhão in the city of Imperatriz (Brazil). The sample consisted of 195 college students (at least 17 years of age) to evaluate the validity and 117 students to evaluate the reliability. All data were collected in a self-reported online format (via Google Forms) twice, with an interval of 2 weeks. We used Spearman's correlation analysis for the reliability study. Additionally, we applied exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate the structural validity. RESULTS: The questionnaire showed acceptable (rho > 0.30) and significant (p < 0.05) reliability, except for the question about the duration of sitting time on a weekend day. When assessing the construct validity (exploratory analysis), we identified a single factor that explained 88.8% of the variance. The 1-factor model showed acceptable model fit (SRMR = 0.039; CFI = 0.96; TLI = 0.90) in confirmatory analysis. CONCLUSIONS: The online version of the IPAQ-SF has acceptable reliability among college students from low-income regions and maintains the structure of the construct regarding to physical activity.

24 h movement behavior and metabolic syndrome study protocol: A prospective cohort study on lifestyle and risk of developing metabolic syndrome in undergraduate students from low-income regions during a pandemic.

Introduction: Obesity and its comorbidities are increasingly prevalent in Latin America, with a more rapid growth in individuals with lower income. The composition of movement behaviors within a 24 h period may have important implications for obesity, metabolic and mental health in cross-sectional data. However, a longitudinal study is needed to confirm the findings from the primarily cross-sectional evidence. The COVID-19 pandemic has been associated with cardiometabolic outcomes and has impeded healthy behavior. Objectives: The first objective is to evaluate the time elapsed since the diagnosis of not meeting 24 h movement guidelines and the potential subsequent onset of metabolic syndrome in undergraduate students from low-income regions within 4 years of follow up. The second objective is to test the association between 24 h movement, mental wellbeing, eating behaviors, and abdominal obesity in the period of this pandemic. Methods: The 24 h movement behavior and metabolic syndrome (24 h-MESYN) study is a multicentre cohort study that will include participants from two Brazilian cities within the 2022-2025 period to asses the first objective, and also a nested case-control study at the baseline will be carried out to evaluate the second objective. Previously, we conducted a feasibility study in the academic year of 2021 to assessing the psychometric properties of subjective tools, refine our study protocol, and adjust the epidemiological conditions of the cohort's subsequent phases (like as prevalence of exposure of interest, sampling process, and study adherence). Statistical tests as Cohen's kappa agreement; factorial analysis; logistic, Poisson and linear regression; and Kaplan-Meier analysis will be performed, in accordance with the objectives.