Reliability and Validity of Sedentary Behavior Questionnaire in Turkish Population: Evaluation of Psychometric Properties

Background Inactivity and sedentary lifestyle are a well-known risk factors for health effects. Many questionnaires evaluate physical activity (PA) level; however, the evaluation of sedentary behavior needs more attention. Sedentary behavior questionnaire (SBQ) is a reliable, valid, and easy-to-administer tool. The current study aimed at cross-culturally adapting and assessing the reliability and validity of the Turkish version of SBQ. Methods SBQ consists of 9 items related to sedentary lifestyle both on weekdays and weekends. SBQ was administrated to 235 participants with the attrition rate of 24%, followed by a repeated administration after 7 days to assess its reliability. Criterion-related validity was analyzed with the international physical activity questionnaire-short form (IPAQ-SF) within the construct validity of the SBQ. Test-retest reliability was assessed by the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), while the Spearman rho was used for criterion-related validity. Results The ICC scores for each parameter ranged from 0.388 to 0.771. The obtained results showed moderate to good test-retest reliability. The validity results of SBQ somewhat violated the standards, which are generally accepted. Items of SBQ “watching TV (including videos on VCD/DVD)”, “sitting and talking on the phone or being busy on the phone”, and “doing paperwork or computer work (office work, e-mails, paying bills, etc.)” correlated significantly with body mass index (BMI) (r = -0.138 to 0.247, P < 0.05). Conclusions The SBQ had good reliability and acceptable validity to assess sedentary behaviors in a Turkish population