A Short Version of the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale: Development and Psychometric Properties

Abstract

Objective: The purposes of this paper were to (a) develop a new short, theory-driven, version of the physical activity enjoyment scale (PACES-S) using content analysis; and (b) subsequently to measure the psychometric properties (construct validity, internal consistency, test–retest reliability, and concurrent validity) of the PACES-S for adolescents. Methods: Six experts used a four-point Likert scale to assess the content validity of each of the 16 items of the physical activity enjoyment scale according to a provided definition of physical activity enjoyment. Based on the results, exploratory factor analysis was used to analyze survey data from a longitudinal study of 182 individuals (Measure 1 of Study 1: 15.75 ± 3.39 yrs; 56.6% boys, 43.4% girls), and confirmatory factor analysis (Measure 2 of Study 1: 15.69 ± 3.44 yrs; 56.3% boys, 43.7% girls) was used to analyze the survey data from a cross-sectional study of 3219 individuals (Study 2; 15.99 ± 3.10 yrs; 47.8% boys, 52.2% girls) to assess the construct validity of the new measure. To assess the reliability, test–retest reliability was assessed in Study 1 and internal consistency in Study 1 and 2. For the concurrent validity, correlations with self-reported and device-based physical activity behavior were assessed in both studies. Results: Four out of sixteen items were selected for PACES-S. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analyses identified and supported its factorial validity (χ2 = 53.62, df = 2, p < 0.001; RMSEA = 0.073; CFI = 0.99; RFI = 0.96; NFI = 0.99; TLI = 0.96; IFI = 0.99). Results showed good test–retest reliability (r = 0.76) and internal consistency (a = 0.82 to 0.88). Regarding concurrent validity, the results showed positive correlations with a physical activity questionnaire (Study 1: r = 0.36), with a physical activity diary (Study 1: r = 0.44), and with accelerometer-recorded data (Study 1: r = 0.32; Study 2: r = 0.21). Conclusions: The results indicate that PACES-S is a reliable and valid instrument that may be particularly useful to measure physical activity enjoyment in large-scale studies. It shows comparable measurement properties as the long version of PACES.

Testing the Weiss-Harter-Model in a prospective study design: the importance of perceived social support for youth physical activity

“…The items (e.g., “I enjoy physical activity.”) were answered using a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 = I disagree a lot to 5 = I agree a lot . A previous study has shown a good test-retest-reliability and internal consistency as well as positive correlations with subjective and device-based measures of physical activity (Chen et al., 2021 ). In the present study, Cronbach’s alpha was 0.86.…”

“…Enjoyment was assessed with the short version of the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES‑S; Chen et al., 2021 ). This recently published short form, which is based on items of the long version, made it possible to avoid the method effects for positively and negatively worded items associated with the long version of PACES (Jekauc, Voelkle, Wagner, Mewes, & Woll, 2013 a).…”

Correlates of physical activity enjoyment in children and adolescents for a new perspective on the treatment of overweight: A systematic literature review

“…Dependent variable: the dependent variable of all included studies had to be physical activity enjoyment, which means, according to the definition described above, "a positively valanced emotion directed towards physical activity associated with feelings, such as pleasure, joy, and fun." 13 Due to heterogeneous methods of assessments, no explicit instrument for determining physical activity enjoyment was decisive, but studies that examined affective states or moods that were not comparable with the characteristics of an emotion 20 were excluded. c. Setting: to consider the whole range of correlates in the literature, studies conducted in any kind of physical activity settings were included, that is, organized sports, leisure time physical activity, and physical education.…”

Anticipatory and Anticipated Emotions in Regular and Non-regular Exercisers – A Qualitative Study

“…Included studies referred to positive affect or enjoyment or even used both terms synonymously. However, enjoyment should be understood as a specific emotion while positive affect is used as a more general term in this field of research ( Chen et al, 2021 ). Based on the presented reviews one could conclude that regular exercisers anticipate positive emotions and that the promotion of those lead to a higher level of physical activity.…”