Evidence map›Paper›PMID 12782543›Full record

ReviewBritish journal of sports medicine2003

Limits to the measurement of habitual physical activity by questionnaires.

R J Shephard

Abstract readReview
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Review in British journal of sports medicine, 2003. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 606 papers, 13 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
606citing papers in PubMed, 13 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

606 citing papers in PubMed, 13 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

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  3. Effectiveness of booster strategies to promote physical activity maintenance: a systematic review and meta-analysis.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2025
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  6. Comparing national device-based physical activity surveillance systems: a systematic review.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2024
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  11. Sedentary behaviour and bone health in older adults: a systematic review.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2021
    Pooled it
  12. Association between parent and child physical activity: a systematic review.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2020
    Pooled it
  13. Unravelling the association between accelerometer-derived physical activity and adiposity among preschool children: A systematic review and meta-analyses.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2020
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546 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

1 author.

R J Shephardroyjshep@shaw.ca

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Despite extensive use over 40 years, physical activity questionnaires still show limited reliability and validity. Measurements have value in indicating conditions where an increase in physical activity would be beneficial and in monitoring changes in population activity. However, attempts at detailed interpretation in terms of exercise dosage and the extent of resulting health benefits seem premature. Such usage may become possible through the development of standardised instruments that will record the low intensity activities typical of sedentary societies, and will ascribe consistent biological meaning to terms such as light, moderate, and heavy exercise.

Indexed as

ExerciseEnergy MetabolismEnvironmentHumansReproducibility of ResultsRisk FactorsSensitivity and SpecificitySurveys and QuestionnairesTime Factors

Identifiers

PMID12782543
PMCPMC1724653

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.