Physical activity barriers in diabetes: Development and validation of a new scale

Dubé, M.-C.; Valois, P.; Prud’homme, D.; Weisnagel, S.J.; Lavoie, C.

doi:10.1016/j.diabres.2005.08.008

« Previous Next »Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice
Volume 72, Issue 1 , Pages 20-27, April 2006

Physical activity barriers in diabetes: Development and validation of a new scale☆

M.-C. Dubé
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Endocrinology, Laval University, Qué., Canada
P. Valois
- Faculty of Education, Laval University, Qué., Canada
D. Prud’homme
- School of Human Kinetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Ottawa, ON, Canada
S.J. Weisnagel
- Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Division of Kinesiology, Laval University, Qué., Canada
- Diabetes Research Unit, CRML, CRCHUL, Laval University, Qué., Canada
C. Lavoie
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physiology and Endocrinology, Laval University, Qué., Canada
- Department of Physical Activity Sciences, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, C.P. 500, Trois-Rivières, Qué., Canada G9A 5H7
- Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 819 376 5011 3767; fax: +1 819 376 5092.

Received 4 May 2005; accepted 19 August 2005. published online 27 October 2005.

Abstract

To develop and validate a questionnaire measuring perceived Barriers to Physical Activity in Diabetes (type 1) or BAPAD1. Initially, an open-ended questionnaire was filled by 36 patients. The modal accessible beliefs obtained on this pilot study were analysed and a scale composed of 12 items (BAPAD1) was developed and validated. Seventy-four type 1 diabetic patients filled the BAPAD1 scale. Cronbach alpha coefficient was 0.85 and the correlation between the test–retest scores was 0.84, both indicating adequate reliability of the barriers scale. Each item of BAPAD1 scale displayed very good item characteristic curve except for item 12, which was withdrawn. The test reliability curve indicated that the BAPAD1 scale is informative (value≥0.82) at all levels of perceived barriers toward physical activity. Moreover, among diabetic-related items, the risk of hypoglycemia showed a particularly good item characteristic curve. In summary, the BAPAD1 scale presents excellent psychometric proprieties and among diabetic-related items, the risk of hypoglycemia should be considered as a significant target to overcome in order to increase physical activity. This new validated tool should be useful in identifying the most salient barriers toward the practice of physical activity and thus, permit more focused intervention in order to overcome those barriers.