Development and psychometric evaluation of the Japanese version of the Physical Effort Scale

The Physical Effort Scale (PES) assesses tendencies to approach or avoid physical effort and provides a framework for examining how automatic effort-avoidance tendencies influence physical activity (PA) behavior. To facilitate cross-cultural PA research, this study developed and validated a Japanese version of the PES (PES-JP) following cross-cultural adaptation guidelines.

An online survey was conducted among 398 Japanese aged 20-59 years.

Exploratory analyses suggested a two-factor structure of the PES-JP (approach and avoidance), and both subscales demonstrated high internal consistency (α = .92, .87). Concurrent validity was supported by associations with PA. The approach score was positively related to moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA; β = .19) and negatively to sitting time (β = -.17). In contrast, the avoidance score showed the opposite pattern (β = -.13 for MVPA, β = .20 for sitting). The global score (approach minus avoidance), which reflects the overall tendency to approach rather than avoid physical effort, showed a similar pattern to the approach dimension (β = .19 for MVPA, β = -.22 for sitting). Test-retest reliability was acceptable (ICCs = .65-.81).

The PES-JP demonstrates sound psychometric properties for assessing tendencies toward physical effort in Japanese adults and provides a useful tool for research on individual differences in PA behavior. The scale may also facilitate cross-cultural investigations of how tendencies toward physical effort influence PA across diverse populations.