Psychometric property and measurement invariance of perceived benefits and barriers of physical activity in Chinese adolescents

Background: The perceived benefits and barriers to physical activity play crucial roles in determining daily physical activity levels. However, previous studies have employed tools lacking adequate validation, leading to inconsistent conclusions about the impact of these two factors. Therefore, this national, population-based study was conducted to assess the psychometric properties, measurement invariance, and predictive validity of the Chinese versions of the perceived benefits (C-PBEPA) and barriers to physical activity (C-PBAPA) scales. Methods: The final sample (N = 2942, 49.3 % for boys) was randomly split into two subsamples. The first subsample was used for exploratory factor analysis and the second subsample was used for confirmatory factor analysis. Measurement invariance across gender and age groups were examined. Structural equation models were developed to examine the predictive validity of the revised C-PBEPA and C-PBAPA on moderate to vigorous PA. Results: The results showed that both scales were unidimensional, had excellent model fit (e.g., X-2/df < 3, CFI >0.9, RMSEA <0.06) and demonstrated convergent validity. Findings also revealed lack of scalar invariance for C-PBAPA between preadolescents and adolescents' groups (Delta CFI >0.01) and supported the predictive validity of both scales (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The study demonstrated that the revised C-PBEPA and C-PBAPA are valid scales for measuring Chinese adolescents' perceived benefits and barriers to PA.