Does social desirability compromise self-reports of physical activity in web-based research?

International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity

Short Paper

Rik Crutzen¹  Anja S Göritz² 

[1] CAPHRI, Maastricht University, The Netherlands;Work, Industrial & Organizational Psychology, University of Würzburg, Germany;

关键词: Physical Activity;    Sedentary Behavior;    Social Desirability;    International Physical Activity Questionnaire;    Total Physical Activity;   

DOI  :  10.1186/1479-5868-8-31

 received in 2010-12-23, accepted in 2011-04-14,  发布年份 2011

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThis study investigated the relation between social desirability and self-reported physical activity in web-based research.FindingsA longitudinal study (N = 5,495, 54% women) was conducted on a representative sample of the Dutch population using the Marlowe-Crowne Scale as social desirability measure and the short form of the International Physical Activity Questionnaire. Social desirability was not associated with self-reported physical activity (in MET-minutes/week), nor with its sub-behaviors (i.e., walking, moderate-intensity activity, vigorous-intensity activity, and sedentary behavior). Socio-demographics (i.e., age, sex, income, and education) did not moderate the effect of social desirability on self-reported physical activity and its sub-behaviors.ConclusionsThis study does not throw doubt on the usefulness of the Internet as a medium to collect self-reports on physical activity.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Crutzen and Göritz; licensee BioMed Central Ltd. 2011