Designing and Validating a Physical Activity Participation Motivation Scale for College Students

Abstract

The Physical Activity Participation Motivation Scale among college students (PAPM-CS) is a psychometric measure, a multidimensional, rigorously developed instrument that is supposed to allow addressing the vital public health issue of physical inactivity among the emerging adult group in the higher education. The study will include an elaborate five practice scale development approach comprising of qualitative exploration, quantitative validation and testing in actual practice in a variety of institutional settings. Based on the incorporated theoretical understanding of Self-Determination Theory, Theory of Planned Behavior, and Social Cognitive Theory, the scale identifies and measures eight distinct motivational dimensions with unique salience to college populations, namely Intrinsic Health Enhancement (long-term wellness and disease prevention), Body Image and Aesthetic Management (appearance-related goals), Social Affiliation and Belonging (peer integration and relationship building), Stress Reduction and Emotional Regulation (mental health coping mechanisms), Cognitive and Academic Enhancement (focus, memory and G The PAPM-CS shows remarkable psychometric strength by means of systematic validation on 2,800 + undergraduate students in 18 institutions of various geographical, demographic, and institutional profiles. The eight-factor structure as hypothesized was confirmed by means of Confirmatory Factor Analysis and all good fit indexes (CFI =.95, TLI =.94, RMSEA =.039, SRMR =.032). Internal consistency (Cronbach a, between .87 and.94 across different subscales) and test-retest consistency were strong (r =.82 to.91) after four weeks. Strong convergent correlations with existing measures (r = .68 to.79 with BREQ-3 and MPAM-R), discriminant validity against social desirability (r =.12), and predictive validity of actual physical activity behavior assessed by accelerometry in 12 weeks (r=.74) are all evidence of validity. The scale is characterized by numerous successes over limitations of available tools since it includes contextual factors of colleges, developmental concerns of emerging adulthood, and combining multiple theoretical viewpoints. It has found practical use in individualized wellness programming, designing of specific interventions, planning campus recreation and institutional policy development. The study has potential to further the theoretical development of health behavior motivation as well as provide the much needed tool in overcoming the epidemic of physical inactivity in college and its possible effects on academic achievements, mental health and long-term health trajectory of college graduates.