A contribution to the validation of the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale in an Italian sample

Assessing motivation for and enjoyment of physical activity is an important step in the promotion of an active lifestyle. This study assessed the factor structure and reliability of the Italian version of the Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale in a sample of Italian students (N = 5,934) aged from 11 to 19. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed on subsamples of girls and boys grouped into 4 age categories. Gender and age differences were also examined through a 2 (sex) x 4 (age) multivariate analysis of variance. Findings supported the factor structure and reliability of the Italian version of the PACES.