Abstract
Background: Enjoyment has been implicated as a determinant of physical activity among
youth, but advances in understanding its importance have been limited by the use of
measures that were not adequately validated. The present study examined: (1) the factorial
validity of the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES), and (2) the construct validity
of PACES scores.
Methods: Adolescent girls (N=1797), who were randomly assigned to calibration (n=899) and cross-validation (n=898) samples, completed the PACES and measures of factors influencing enjoyment of
physical education, physical activity, and sport involvement. The factorial validity
of the PACES and the measure of factors influencing enjoyment of physical education
was tested using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. The hypothesized relationships
among the measures were tested using structural equation modeling.
Results: Unidimensional models fit the PACES and the measure of factors influencing
enjoyment of physical education in the calibration and cross-validation samples. The
hypothesized relationships between the PACES and the measures of factors influencing
enjoyment of physical education, physical activity, and sport involvement were supported
in the entire sample, were similar in African-American and Caucasian girls, and were
independent of physical fitness.
Conclusions: Evidence of factorial validity and convergent evidence for construct
validity indicate that the PACES is a valid measure of physical activity enjoyment
among adolescent girls, suitable for use as a mediator variable in interventions designed
to increase physical activity.
Keywords
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© 2001 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
