Construct Validity and Reliability of the Affordances for Motor Behavior of Schoolchildren in South India

Abstract

The Affordances for Motor Behavior of Schoolchildren (AMBS) is a standardized self-reporting tool comprising 73 questions, organized into seven sections aiming to assess affordances in children’s regular contexts. This investigation aims to establish the reliability and validity of the results obtained from the AMBS in South Indian children. The AMBS reliability and construct validity were evaluated in 393 Indian families whose children were aged between 6 and 10 years old. The internal consistency of the AMBS was evaluated by retesting the tool in a subsample of 30 families following a 14-day interval between assessments (intraclass correlation coefficient), showing a reliability level of .933. The validity of the scale was evaluated using the confirmatory factor analysis. The model that was tested indicated a very good fit, and the structural model presented significant loading coefficients from the identified variables to the theoretically specified latent factors. Positively significant correlation values were found between factors: home and materials (r = .78), home and school (r = .55), and materials and school (r = .77). Our findings suggest that AMBS is a reliable assessment tool and can evaluate the affordances provided to South Indian children. This information can be used to develop interventions to improve the physical activity levels of these children.