Abstract
Measurement equivalence is often assumed across comparison groups, a pervasive problem related to many self-report instruments. Measurement equivalence, also known as measurement invariance, implies that a measure has the same meaning across different groups of people. In this study, we aimed to examine the measurement and structural invariance among gender of the Malay version of the Physical Activity and Leisure Motivation Scale for Youth (PALMS-Y-M). Seven-hundred-and-eighty-three secondary school students (female = 57.3%, male = 42.7%) with mean age 14.5 years (standard deviation = 1.25) from Kota Bharu, Malaysia, volunteered to participate in this study and completed the PALMS-Y-M, consisting of 28 items with seven subscales. We conducted the confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and invariance tests on the seven motives of the PALMS-Y-M model. The hypothesized model consisted of 28 observed items and seven latent variables. We used estimator robust to maximum likelihood, MLR to examine the hypothesized measurement and structural invariance. Measurement invariance was tested for three different levels. We first established the configural invariance model, then we compared the metric invariance model and the scalar invariance model with the less restrictive model. Then structural invariance was tested for factor variance, covariance, and means. Findings provided evidence for full measurement and structural invariance of the PALMS-Y-M in males and females. The final CFA model fit the data well for males [comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.922, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.048, standardized root mean residual (SRMR) = 0.050] and females (CFI = 0.922, RMSEA = 0.047, SRMR = 0.053). When invariance of both factor loadings and item intercepts holds in PALMS-Y-M, underlying factors consisting of different motives for participating in PA can be meaningfully compared across gender. Accurate and valid measurement of PALMS-Y-M across comparison groups is crucial for future research that involves examining motives to physical activity in different genders and other socio-cultural variables.
Highlights
Regular physical activity is important to maintain physical health, fight against obesity, and treat a variety of chronic health conditions
Since the Physical Activity and Leisure Motivation Scale (PALMS)-Y was developed by selecting the strongest items in the PALMS that are relevant to the youth population, we propose that the PALMS-Y will be reliable and valid
Once the measurement invariance was established, we investigated the invariance of structural parameters
Summary
Regular physical activity is important to maintain physical health, fight against obesity, and treat a variety of chronic health conditions. Lack of physical activity causes obesity and complications due to chronic illness, such as coronary heart disease, colon cancer, hypertension, and diabetes Researchers have identified the association between inactivity and different types of cancer, such as breast cancer, and cancer of the colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, pancreas, and cervix (Kushi et al, 2006; Lee et al, 2012). Regular physical activity could contribute to increased mental health and academic performance, lower stress, and depression levels (Nieman, 2002; Rasberry et al, 2011), decrease the risk of coronary heart disease or cardiovascular disease (Williams, 2001), and prolong life expectancy (Lee et al, 2012)
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