Development and initial validation of the group exercise motivation scale and associated factors in an Asian...

Physical activity is crucial in health promotion. Exercise in groups can strengthen the benefits of exercise itself. However, the scale measuring the motivation for group exercise is scare.

To develop and preliminarily validate the Group Exercise Motivation Scale (GEMS) in a global Asian population.

A total of 1021 participants from seven regions across the world were recruited. Based on the theory of planned behavior, we developed an initial 20-item scale for the measurement of group exercise motivation and conducted an exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Then, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to replicate the factor structure obtained through EFA with a refined 15-item scale, among 510 and 511 participants, respectively.

Four dimensions have been derived including personal attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and behavioral intention. The GEMS showed acceptable factorial validity, satisfactory reliability (Cronbach's α 0.779 and McDonald's omega 0.745), and no floor/ceiling effect. The scale was developed in Chinese language.

The GEMS has utility as an assessment for group exercise motivation. This study provides evidence for future longitudinal studies to evaluate the effectiveness of group exercise in the field of public health.