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Reliability and validity of physical activity measurements in Vietnam

thesis
posted on 2023-05-27, 00:40 authored by Au, BT
Mortality from non-communicable diseases (NCD) has increased in Vietnam in recent decades. Relatively little is known about the prevalence of risk factors for NCD in Vietnam, particularly for rural populations living outside the two major cities of Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City. The measurement of physical inactivity, an established risk factor for disease in Western populations, has not been attempted. The principal aim of this thesis was to test the reliability and validity of several methods of measuring physical activity in the Vietnamese population. A secondary aim was to investigate the prevalence of physical inactivity and other NCD risk factors in a population-based sample of rural Vietnam. A population survey (n=1978) was conducted in 2005 in Can Tho in the Mekong Delta of southern Vietnam, using the STEPS methodology developed by the World Health Organisation. Measurements of physical activity were made using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ). GPAQ is a modified version of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). A sub-sample (n=251) of participants had multiple measurements of physical activity using GPAQ, IPAQ, pedometers, and physical activity records (PAR). The key findings were: 1. The prevalence of NCD risk factors in the dominantly rural sample were very different from those previously reported for big city samples from Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City. 2. Work activity constituted 80% of total moderate and vigorous activity, and 33% of men and 40% of women were classified as inactive. 3. The modifications of IPAQ in the design of GPAQ have improved the physical activity estimates for those with stable work patterns, but, overall, both questionnaires had modest reliability and validity in estimating physical activity. 4. It was feasible to obtain a superior estimate of physical activity using at least three days of pedometer wear. 5. The use of pedometers was culturally acceptable to the local population. The involvement of health volunteers was critical, but they require constant supervision. 6. Tobacco smoking, a potential confounder of the association between physical activity and NCD risk indicators, was associated with hypertension in a doseresponse fashion. 7. Physical activity measured by GPAQ was associated with total cholesterol and, for men, with body composition and blood glucose. Work activity was the main contributor to these associations. For Vietnam, the GPAQ modifications of IPAQ have been only partly successful. Objective measurement by pedometers is feasible and culturally acceptable, and should be encouraged.

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Copyright 2010 the Author Chapter 2 appears to be the equivalent of a post-print of an article finally published as: Pham, L. H.; Thuy, A. B.; Blizzard, L.; Truong, N. B.; Schmidt, M. D.; Granger, R. H.; Dwyer, T., 2009, Prevalence of risk factors for non-communicable diseases in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam: results from a STEPS survey, BMC public health, 9(291), 1-8 published under a Creative Commons license, (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0) Chapter 3 appears to be the equivalent of a post-print of an article finally published as: Thuy, A. B.; Blizzard, L.; Schmidt, M.; Luc, P. H.; Magnussen, C.; Dwyer, T., 2010, Reliability and validity of the global physical activity questionnaire in Vietnam, Journal of physical activity and health, 7(3), 410-418 Copyright 2010 Human Kinetics, Inc. \as accepted for publication\" Chapter 4 appears to be the equivalent of a post-print of an article finally published as: Thuy A. B.; Blizzard L.; Schmidt M.; Magnussen C.; Hansen E.; Dwyer T.2011 Using pedometers to estimate ambulatory physical activity in Vietnam Journal of physical activity and health 8(1) 52-61 Copyright 2011 Human Kinetics Inc. \"as accepted for publication\" Appendix 6A 4 appears to be the equivalent of a non-final version of an article published in final form as: Thuy A. B.; Blizzard L.; Schmidt M.; Luc P. H.; Granger R. H.; Dwyer T.2010 The association between smoking and hypertension in a population-based sample of Vietnamese men Journal of Hypertension 28(2) 245-250 Chapter 7 appears to be the equivalent of a post-print of an article finally published as: Thuy A. B.; Blizzard L.; Schmidt M.; Luc H. P.; Granger R. H.; Dwyer T.2012 Physical activity and its association with cardiovascular risk factors in Vietnam Asia-Pacific journal of public health 24(2) 308-317 Copyright 2012 APJPH"

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