Development and Validation of a Perception, Attitude, and Practice of Physical Activity to Support Personalized Physical Activity Promotion Among U.S. Older Adults

Background: This cross-sectional study aimed to develop and validate measures of perceptions, attitudes, and practices to support physical activity among older adults. Method: We enrolled online 310 community-dwelling U.S. older adults and 11 content experts. Using the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices framework, we developed 14, seven, and nine items for the Perceived Physical Activity Benefits Scale (PBAS), Attitudes toward Physical Activity Scale (APAS), and Physical Activity Practice Scale (PAPS), respectively. We generated derivation and replication samples using a 30:70 simple random split. Content validity and item analyses were performed on the full sample, followed by exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for derivation and replication samples, respectively. Results: Item-level content validity indices for the PBAS, APAS, and PAPS were 0.96, 0.94, and 0.95, respectively. Also, the internal consistencies for the PBAS, APAS, and PAPS were 0.92, 0.77, and 0.91, respectively. Our EFA identified two subscale constructs for each measure, with good subscale reliability. CFA fit index ranges for the PBAS, APAS, and PAPS were 0.90–0.94, 0.97–0.99, and 0.95–0.97. Conclusions: The PBAS, APAS, and PAPS are reliable and valid instruments for assessing perceptions, attitudes, and practices related to physical activity among older adults.