Validation and Measurement Invariance of the Tendency to Avoid Physical Activity and Sport Scale (TAPAS) Among Thai Young Adults

Ruckwongpatr K 1 , Ahorsu DK 2 , Pimsen A 3 , Paratthakonkun C 4 , Tung SEH 5 , Pramukti I 6 Show all authors , Bevan N 7 , Chen JS 8 , Huang CH 9 , Pakpour AH 10 , Griffiths MD 11 , Lin CY 1

Affiliations 

  • 1 Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan
  • 2 Department of Special Education and Counselling, The Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
  • 3 Faculty of Nursing, Mahidol University, Thailand
  • 4 College of Sports Science and Technology, Mahidol University, Thailand
  • 5 Division of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Sciences, IMU University, Malaysia
  • 6 Faculty of Nursing, Universitas Padjadjaran, Indonesia
  • 7 School of Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Australia
  • 8 Department of Medical Research, E-Da Hospital, I-Shou University, Taiwan
  • 9 Department of Family Medicine and Community Medicine, E-Da Hospital, I-Shou University, Taiwan
  • 10 Department of Nursing, School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, Sweden
  • 11 International Gaming Research Unit, Psychology Department, Nottingham Trent University, UK
Eval Health Prof, 2024 Aug 16.
PMID: 39148374 DOI: 10.1177/01632787241271117

Abstract

Examining ways of reducing physical inactivity has been at the forefront of public health research. Moreover, valid and reliable scales are needed to objectively assess physical activity (PA) avoidance. Previous research has shown that experiencing weight stigma and physical appearance-related concerns are associated with physical inactivity. However, there is currently no Thai instrument that assesses physical inactivity in relation to weight stigma. Therefore, the present study examined the psychometric properties of the Thai version of the Tendency to Avoid Physical Activity and Sport Scale (TAPAS). Thai university students (N = 612) recruited via convenience sampling completed an online survey using SurveyMonkey between September 2022 and January 2023. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), multigroup CFA, and Pearson correlations (between TAPAS scores, age, body mass index, and time spent exercising) were used to analyze the data. The CFA showed robust psychometric properties for the Thai version of TAPAS regarding its unidimensional structure. The TAPAS was measurement invariant across sex, weight status, and daily hours of exercise. However, no significant Pearson correlations were found. In general, the results showed that the TAPAS is a good scale for assessing PA avoidance among Thai young adults across different sexes, weight status, and daily hours of exercise.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

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