Development and validation of the Physical Activity Sustainability Behavioral Scale

Abstract

This study aimed to develop and validate a scale to assess individuals’ behavior to sustain physical activity as a continuous part of daily life. The present validation study included participants from late childhood to young adulthood. The development process included literature review, item pool generation, expert evaluation, pilot testing, and psychometric analyses. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted with 213 participants from primary schools, middle schools, high schools, and universities in Erzurum. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) used data from 942 participants. EFA results showed that the scale had a unidimensional structure, explaining 37.7% of the total variance, with factor loadings ranging from 0.50 to 0.67. The five-item scale measures the continuity of individuals’ participation in physical activity. EFA assumptions showed a KMO value of 0.718 and a significant Bartlett’s test of sphericity (χ²(10) = 250, p < .001). CFA results indicated excellent model fit (χ²/df = 3.22, RMSEA = .049, SRMR = .013, CFI = .994, TLI = .987, AGFI = .996, IFI = .994, NFI = .991). All factor loadings in the CFA ranged from .65 to .78. Internal consistency analysis yielded a Cronbach’s alpha of .84 and McDonald’s ω of .84. The findings show that the developed scale is valid, reliable, and suitable for individuals from late childhood to young adulthood in the present validation study. Its short and practical structure allows use in educational institutions, physical activity programs, health screenings, and research projects. This supports individuals’ lifestyle habits and the long-term sustainability of participation in physical activity.

Keywords

• Health and quality of life
• Physical activity
• Physical activity sustainability
• Quality education Sustainability

Ethical Statement

Erzurum Technical University Scientific Research and Publication Ethics Committee, Meeting No. 12, Decision No. 07, dated August 28, 2025

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