2.2. International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ)

The IPAQ is a self-report questionnaire designed to assess PA levels. It consists of seven questions, with six inquiring about the frequency and duration of PA in the past week, categorized into walking, moderate, and vigorous intensity. The seventh question addresses the daily sitting time over the past week. To mitigate potential overestimation by respondents, all participants in the survey received training from our research team [17].

The weekly duration of each specific PA is multiplied by its corresponding metabolic equivalent of task (MET) value, where walking corresponds to 3.3 MET, moderate intensity to 4.0 MET, and vigorous intensity to 8.0 MET. The resultant score is expressed in MET-minutes per week (MET-m/w) [18].

The IPAQ is a questionnaire with established validity and reliability, demonstrated through research, including studies conducted within the Polish population [19,20].