Self-report physical activity and sedentary behaviour assessments validated for Indigenous populations globally: a scoping review

Kilburn, Melissa, Hornby-Turner, Yvonne, Wallace, Valda, Leonard, Dympna, Russell, Sarah G., Quigley, Rachel, Strivens, Edward, and Evans, Rebecca (2025) Self-report physical activity and sedentary behaviour assessments validated for Indigenous populations globally: a scoping review. Health Promotion International, 40 (3). daaf055.

[img]
Preview
PDF (Published Version) - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial.

Download (1MB) | Preview
View at Publisher Website: https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/daaf055


Abstract

Chronic disease prevention programs that target physical inactivity and sedentary behaviour are often evaluated using self-report assessment tools. However, these tools may require additional validation to ensure relevance and efficacy for Indigenous peoples. The scope to which this occurs is yet to be systematically assessed within the literature. This review aimed to explore and define the range of self-report physical activity and sedentary behaviour assessment tools validated for Indigenous adults globally. Searches were conducted across seven electronic databases; resultant articles were screened against the inclusion and exclusion criteria by two reviewers. Analysis of the 15 included articles suggests that self-report physical activity and sedentary behaviour assessment tools have achieved varying levels of validity amongst Indigenous populations globally. Most studies rated as low cultural appropriateness on a 14-item Indigenous research quality appraisal tool, however, there was a significant moderate upward trend over time (P = 0.0328). Digital physical activity or sedentary behaviour assessment tools have not yet been validated within Indigenous adult populations and constitute an apparent gap in the literature. Established validation methods for other populations were commonly found to be inappropriate for Indigenous population groups. There were no evident trends regarding validation study methodology identified, signifying a more bespoke approach within Indigenous population groups. Therefore, meaningful consultation and project co-design may help to prevent the potential methodological redundancy when developing and validating physical activity assessment methods within Indigenous populations globally.

Item ID: 87987
Item Type: Article (Research - C1)
ISSN: 1460-2245
Keywords: assessment, Indigenous peoples, physical activity, reliability and validity, sedentary behaviour, surveys and questionnaires
Copyright Information: © The Author(s) 2025. Published by Oxford University Press. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact reprints@oup.com for reprints and translation rights for reprints. All other permissions can be obtained through our RightsLink service via the Permissions link on the article page on our site—for further information please contact journals.permissions@oup.com
Date Deposited: 06 Mar 2026 06:45
FoR Codes: 45 INDIGENOUS STUDIES > 4504 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and wellbeing > 450417 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander public health and wellbeing @ 100%
SEO Codes: 21 INDIGENOUS > 2103 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health > 210399 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health not elsewhere classified @ 100%
More Statistics

Actions (Repository Staff Only)

Item Control Page Item Control Page