TY - JOUR T1 - Differences in levels of physical activity between White and South Asian populations within a healthcare setting: impact of measurement type in a cross-sectional study JF - BMJ Open JO - BMJ Open DO - 10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006181 VL - 5 IS - 7 SP - e006181 AU - Thomas Yates AU - Joe Henson AU - Charlotte Edwardson AU - Danielle H Bodicoat AU - Melanie J Davies AU - Kamlesh Khunti Y1 - 2015/07/01 UR - http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/5/7/e006181.abstract N2 - Objective We investigate differences between White and South Asian (SA) populations in levels of objectively measured and self-reported physical activity.Design Cross-sectional study.Setting Leicestershire, UK, 2010–2011.Participants Baseline data were pooled from two diabetes prevention trials that recruited a total of 4282 participants from primary care with a high risk score for type 2 diabetes. For this study, 2843 White (age=64±8, female=37%) and 243 SA (age=58±9, female=34%) participants had complete physical activity data and were included in the analysis.Outcome measures Moderate-intensity to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA) and walking activity were measured using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ), and a combination of piezoelectric pedometer (NL-800) and accelerometer (Actigraph GT3X) were used to objectively measure physical activity.Results Compared to White participants, SA participants self-reported less MVPA (30 vs 51 min/day; p<0.001) and walking activity (11 vs 17 min/day; P=0.001). However, there was no difference in objectively measured ambulatory activity (5992 steps/day vs 6157 steps/day; p=0.75) or in time spent in MVPA (18.0 vs 21.5 min/day; p=0.23). Results were largely unaffected when adjusted for age, sex and social deprivation. Compared to accelerometer data, White participants overestimated their time in MVPA by 51 min/day and SA participants by 21 min/day.Conclusions SA and White groups undertook similar levels of physical activity when measured objectively despite self-reported estimates being around 40% lower in the SA group. This emphasises the limitations of comparing self-reported lifestyle measures across different populations and ethnic groups.Trial registration number Reports baseline data from: Walking Away from Type 2 Diabetes (ISRCTN31392913) and Let's Prevent Diabetes (NCT00677937). ER -