Validation of the Portuguese Adaptation of the Physical Activity and Leisure Motivation Scale (PALMS-p)

Abstract

The clear decline in the practice of physical activity (PA) in contemporary society has well-documented problematic consequences in public health. It has led to a clear investment of research efforts in the attempt to identify the psychological constructs associated with health behaviors such as PA, in particular, the motivation that leads people to adopt these behaviors. In this context, the objective of the present study is to present a suggestion of a Portuguese version of the Physical Activity and Leisure Motivation Scale (PALMS), denominated PALMS-p. This instrument evaluates the reasons for the practice of PA. The psychometric qualities of the instrument were evaluated in a sample of 234 participants (86 males, 148 females) who practiced different PA in a recreational context. Confirmatory factorial analysis confirmed the factorial robustness of the PALMS-p (χ2/df = 2.010 comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.950, goodness of fit index (GFI) = 0.855, Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) = 0.939 root-mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.021, P(RMSEA ≤ 0.05) < 0.001), and the results show that this version presents good internal consistency. The present study corroborates the fidelity and validity of PALMS-p as a motivation measure for the practice of PA in the Portuguese population.