ABSTRACT
The present study aimed to validate the Chinese version of the Tendency to Avoid Physical Activity and Sport Scale (TAPAS) among university students living in Hong Kong to assess weight and body image concerns. A convenience sample of 787 students (63.5% females; 24.5% overweight) were recruited online. The factor structure of the scale was examined using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Multigroup CFA was used to assess measurement invariance across gender and weight categories. The unidimensional structure of the scale was confirmed (χ2 = 78.046, CFI = 0.996). Factor loading ranged from 0.536 to 0.902, and internal consistency was good (α = .93, ω = .95). The scale was measurement invariant across gender and weight status using both metric and scalar invariance methods (−0.004<ΔCFI<-0.002). The scale can help to identify barriers of weight concerns regarding physical activity engagement which would help in the development of preventive interventions.
Acknowledgments
We thank all the participants in the study.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Data availability statement
Data used and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
Ethical approval statement
The procedures for the present study adhered to the (i) Declaration of Helsinki, and (ii) ethical principles for medical research involving human participants. The Survey and Behavioural Research Committee at the Chinese University of Hong Kong approved the research project before the authors distributed the survey (Reference No. SBRE‐22‐0186).