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. 2022 Feb 9;19(4):1937.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19041937.

The Psychometric Properties of the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-3): Factorial Structure, Invariance and Validity in the Italian Context

Elisa Cavicchiolo  1 , Maurizio Sibilio  1 , Fabio Lucidi  2 , Mauro Cozzolino  1 , Andrea Chirico  2 , Laura Girelli  1 , Sara Manganelli  3 , Francesco Giancamilli  2 , Federica Galli  4 , Pierluigi Diotaiuti  5 , Arnaldo Zelli  4 , Luca Mallia  4 , Tommaso Palombi  2 , Dario Fegatelli  2 , Flavia Albarello  2 , Fabio Alivernini  2
Affiliations

The Psychometric Properties of the Behavioural Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-3): Factorial Structure, Invariance and Validity in the Italian Context

Elisa Cavicchiolo et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Motivation to engage in physical activity plays a central role in ensuring the health of the population. The present study investigated the psychometric properties and validity in Italy of the Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ-3), a widely used instrument for assessing individuals' motivation to exercise based on self-determination theory (SDT).

Methods: A large sample (N = 2222; females = 55.4%; Mage = 36.4 years, SDage = 13.9, min = 20, max = 69) of young people, and middle aged and older adults completed the Italian translation of the BREQ-3, also indicating their intentions to exercise in the following weeks.

Results: Confirmatory factor analyses showed that the posited six-factor structure of the BREQ-3 fitted the data well (CFI = 0.96; RMSEA = 0.05; SRMR = 0.04) and provided evidence for full measurement invariance across gender and different age groups. The construct validity of the BREQ-3 was supported by the latent correlations among the subscales, which were consistent with the quasi-simplex pattern theorized by SDT. The overall level of self-determination and the intention to exercise were positively correlated, providing evidence for the criterion validity of the scale.

Conclusions: The Italian version of the BREQ-3 has proved to be a reliable and valid instrument for measuring the behavioral regulation of exercise in individuals with different demographic characteristics.

Keywords: BREQ-3; Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire; Italian validation; exercise; motivation; self-determination theory.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Confirmatory factor analysis results. Note: All of the estimates are standardized. All of the estimates are statistically significant p < 0.001.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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