Validation of the Goal Content for Exercise Questionnaire (GCEQ) for a sample of elderly Portuguese people

Antunes, Raul; Couto, Nuno; Monteiro, Diogo; Moutão, João; Marinho, Daniel; Cid, Luis · 2017 · DOAJ

DOI: 10.6063/motricidade.9541

archive: archived pipeline: cataloged verified

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Summary

This study addresses the need to validate the Goal Content for Exercise Questionnaire (GCEQ) for elderly populations, a demographic previously underrepresented in psychometric assessments of exercise motivation. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Goal Content Theory, the research investigates whether the GCEQ, originally developed by Sebire et al. (2008), accurately measures the intrinsic and extrinsic motives driving physical activity in older adults. The authors posit that understanding these goal contents is crucial for promoting sustained engagement in exercise and enhancing well-being among the elderly. The researchers conducted a validation study using a sample of 311 Portuguese individuals aged 60 to 90 years (mean age 68.53), recruited from senior universities and day care centers. Participants completed the Portuguese version of the GCEQ, which assesses five factors: health management, skills development, social affiliation, image, and social recognition. The study employed confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to evaluate the psychometric properties of the instrument. Due to non-normal data distribution, the Satorra-Bentler correction was applied to chi-square statistics. The analysis tested the original 20-item model, a reduced 17-item model, a previously validated 15-item model, and a second-order model distinguishing between intrinsic and extrinsic goals. Results indicated that the original 20-item model did not fit the data satisfactorily. However, after eliminating three items (related to social affiliation, image, and skills development) that exhibited cross-loadings and high residual values, the resulting 17-item, five-factor model demonstrated adequate fit indices (CFI = .934, TLI = .916, RMSEA = .057). This model showed acceptable composite reliability (ranging from .76 to .88) and convergent validity, with Average Variance Extracted values exceeding the recommended threshold of .50. Discriminant validity was generally supported, except for a high correlation between social affiliation and skills development. Notably, the second-order model, which grouped factors into intrinsic and extrinsic goals, failed to fit the data adequately. Descriptive analysis revealed that health management motives received the highest endorsement, while social recognition received the lowest. The study concludes that the 17-item version of the GCEQ is a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing exercise motives in elderly Portuguese populations. While the five-factor structure is robust, the failure of the second-order model suggests that the distinction between intrinsic and extrinsic goals may not be as distinct in this demographic as in younger samples. The findings support the use of the GCEQ in research and practice aimed at understanding the motivational drivers of physical activity in older adults, though the authors recommend further validation across different genders, ages, and types of physical activity to ensure broader applicability.

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• dbq psychometrics