IPAQ
IPAQ stands for International Physical Activity Questionnaire, a survey tool developed to measure physical activity in adults across diverse populations. It exists in a short form (4 items) and a long form (up to 12 items) that assess walking, moderate-intensity, and vigorous-intensity activities, plus sedentary time such as sitting. Respondents report frequency (days per week) and duration (minutes per day) of activities over the previous seven days (short form) or the previous week (long form). The scores yield estimates of total physical activity in MET-minutes per week and can classify individuals into activity levels (low, moderate, high) using the IPAQ scoring protocol. The tool has been translated and culturally adapted for many countries and is widely used in population surveillance and epidemiological studies to compare physical activity across regions and over time. Strengths include its broad scope and low cost; limitations include reliance on self-report, recall bias, and potential overestimation of activity relative to objective measures such as accelerometry. Researchers sometimes use IPAQ alongside objective instruments to enhance measurement accuracy.
Other uses: IPAQ may be encountered as an acronym for other technologies, most commonly the iPAQ line