Reliability, Validity, and Gender Invariance of the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale: An Emerging Evidence for a More...

Area of Science:

• Exercise Psychology
• Psychometrics
• Health Behavior Research

Background:

• The Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale (EBBS) is widely used to assess exercise perceptions.
• Accurate and reliable measurement tools are crucial for translating research findings.
• The original EBBS validation proposed a nine-factor structure, with some items/factors potentially less vital.

Purpose of the Study:

• To re-examine the factor structure of the EBBS using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).
• To validate a more concise version of the EBBS for the UK adult population.
• To assess the reliability and cross-cultural validity of the revised EBBS.

Main Methods:

• Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with hierarchical testing was performed on 565 UK participants.
• Statistical indices (CFI, TLI, RMSEA) were used to evaluate model fit.
• Multi-group CFA was employed to test for gender invariance.

Main Results:

• Evidence supported a four-factor structure for benefits (life enhancement, physical performance, psychological outlook, social interaction) and a two-factor structure for barriers (exercise milieu, time expenditure).
• A six-factor correlated model demonstrated good fit (CFI=0.930, TLI=0.919, RMSEA=0.046).
• The proposed 26-item EBBS showed better parsimony than the original 43-item version, with supported gender invariance.

Conclusions:

• The revised, concise EBBS is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing exercise benefits and barriers in the UK adult population.
• The study confirms the relevance of core EBBS factors and items after three decades.
• Future research should focus on the content validity of the revised scale, particularly for barriers to physical activity.