Abstract
The clear decline in the practice of physical activity (PA) in contemporary society has well-documented problematic consequences in public health. It has led to a clear investment of research efforts in the attempt to identify the psychological constructs associated with health behaviors such as PA, in particular, the motivation that leads people to adopt these behaviors. In this context, the objective of the present study is to present a suggestion of a Portuguese version of the Physical Activity and Leisure Motivation Scale (PALMS), denominated PALMS-p. This instrument evaluates the reasons for the practice of PA. The psychometric qualities of the instrument were evaluated in a sample of 234 participants (86 males, 148 females) who practiced different PA in a recreational context. Confirmatory factorial analysis confirmed the factorial robustness of the PALMS-p (χ2/df = 2.010 comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.950, goodness of fit index (GFI) = 0.855, Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) = 0.939 root-mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.021, P(RMSEA ≤ 0.05) < 0.001), and the results show that this version presents good internal consistency. The present study corroborates the fidelity and validity of PALMS-p as a motivation measure for the practice of PA in the Portuguese population.
Highlights
In today’s society, the decline in individual adherence to the practice of physical activity (PA) is unequivocal
Items 1, 7, 9, 12, 22, and were excluded, so that Physical Activity and Leisure Motivation Scale (PALMS)-p was composed of items
A new refinement of PALMS-p was developed through the modification indices (MI) criterion [31] to assess other sources of model specification
Summary
In today’s society, the decline in individual adherence to the practice of physical activity (PA) is unequivocal. The literature clearly points out the negative consequences in terms of physical and mental health due to the aforementioned decline [1,2,3]. Regular PA has been unanimously considered the cheapest instrument of public health, and it is estimated that if physical inactivity reached (only) 50% of the Portuguese population, the costs would be around 900 million euros [4]. Regarding the present-day Portuguese reality, the Sports and PA Eurobarometer recently published by the European Commission reveals that Portugal continues to face serious problems concerning the frequent realization of physical exercise or sports [8]. The results of this study point out that the main reason to practice regular PA is the need to improve health and fitness, and that the more frequently reported barriers are lack of time and lack of motivation
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
