Psychometric properties of the exercise benefits scale in adolescents students

Adolescents' perception of the benefits of exercise may differ from that of other populations, making it necessary to find this age group's views on exercise to develop strategies that promote adherence to active and healthy lifestyles. The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric properties of the exercise benefits perception subscale in high school students from northeastern Mexico. A total of 1,427 students aged 14 to 17 years (14.83 +/- 1.54) took part. SPSS v27.0 and AMOS 26.0 software were used. The measure of sampling adequacy showed that the exploratory factor analysis was optimal, identifying three factors: physical condition and health (items 10, 12, 5, 11, 29, 28, 15, 21, 4, 13, 24), social (27, 25, 20, 23, 22, 18, 17, 19), and psychological benefits (2, 1, 7, 3, 16, 6, 26). Confirmatory factor analysis showed acceptable goodness-of-fit indices (Chi2/df = 3; RMSEA =.06; TLI =.90; CFI =.91; IFI =.91). The scale for measuring the types of perceived exercise benefits in high school students has adequate psychometric properties. The identified factors may be useful in fostering a deeper and more practical understanding of these benefits, with positive implications for the health and overall academic performance of students.