The IPAQ Questionnaire is a self-assessment tool developed by the IPAQ group. The questionnaire aims to help people in evaluating by themselves their level of physical activity. The categorical score model proposes three different outputs (i.e. ‘categories’):
1. Low: this result is for people that do not engage quite at all physical activities of any kind
2. Moderate: this result is for people practicing vigorous physical activity a minimum of 3 days a week OR 5 days a week of moderate-intensity physical activity OR 30 minutes per day of walk
3. High: this result is for people practicing moderate-intense physical activity 7 days a week

The IPAQ Questionnaire is publicly available, in FREE and OPEN access: academics and scholars from all domain of science are highly encouraged to rely on it as methodological framework for their researches. The IPAQ Questionnaire comes in two different version:
• Short version, recommended for small-piloting initiatives at local level OR in the case of “physical activity over the last seven days”
• Long version, recommended for large-scale research programmes OR in the case of “usual physical activity” (i.e. athletes, sportsmen/women)

In the context of the AKKU project, partners will propose the short version as much more suitable to the scope and scale of this Work Package.

In the context of the AKKU project, the IPAQ tool can be of strategic relevance to assess the average time that employees/managers spend in physical activity. The scientific literature correlating physical activity with better work performance is extremely rich in contributions. Based on results, management and/or owners of the organisation can develop, sustain and promote further guidelines/recommendations/internal policies to incentive healthy life style that can benefit workers/employees’ well-being and work ability.

The questionnaire makes clear distinction between MODERATE and VIGOROUS physical activities:
• MODERATE physical activities: we mean activities that require a moderate amount of physical efforts and make you breath somewhat harder than normal
• VIGOROUS physical activities: we mean activities that require a large amount of physical efforts and make you breath with much more difficulty than normal

The distinction is very important since depending on the considered activity, inputs from respondents are processed in different ways. Vigorous activities consume twice as METs as moderate ones: MET (metabolic equivalents) is the elementary unit used in health science to calculate body’s energy expenditure, and in simpler terms, the intensity of an exercise or activity. For instance, according to scientific standards:
• 1 MET = body at rest (i.e. sitting) = approximately 3,5 millilitres of oxygen consumed per kilogram (kg) of body weight per minute.
• 12,3 METs = jumping the rope
• Etc…

More in general:
• LIGHT physical activities < 3 METs
• 3 METs < MODERATE physical activities < 6 METs
• 6 METs < VIGOROUS activities



Respondents can calculate by themselves their average weekly METs following this very simple formula:

METs INTENSE activities = minutes per day * days * 8 METs = XXX
METs MODERATE activities = minutes per day * days * 4 METs = YYY
METs from walking = minutes per day * days * 2,5 METs (slow); 3 METs (moderate); 3,3 METs (brisk) = ZZZ

Tot. METs per week = XXX + YYY + ZZZ

If respondents consume less than 700 METs/week → they are INACTIVE
If respondents consume between 700 and 2519 METs/week → they are SUFFICIENTLY ACTIVE
If respondents consume more than 2520 METs/week → they are ACTIVE or VERY ACTIVE

All, with no distinction on gender and demography, let alone professional background and occupation.

15 minutes