Psychometric Properties of the Turkish Version of the Procrastination in Exercise Scale

Exercise procrastination can lead to serious health issues such as obesity, cardiovascular diseases, chronic illnesses, and mental disorders. Although scales developed in the literature tend to focus on topics like work procrastination, academic procrastination, and decision-making procrastination, there are limited measurement tools specifically addressing exercise procrastination. This study aims to test the validity and reliability of The Procrastination in Exercise Scale, developed by Kelly and Walton, within the Turkish cultural context. The study consisted of three phases: Exploratory Factor Analysis was conducted with 406 participants (Meanage=22±2.85), Confirmatory Factor Analysis with 395 participants (Meanage=23.55±6.64), and measurement invariance analysis with 1114 participants (Meanage=32.92±11.30). The Decision-Making Procrastination Scale, The General Procrastination Scale, and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire were employed as data collection instruments. Exploratory Factor Analysis and Horn’s parallel analysis indicated that the EPBS is a unidimensional construct within the Turkish culture, explaining 81.420% of the variance. Confirmatory Factor Analysis results demonstrated a good fit for the model with values of χ2/df=4.07, RMSEA (90% CI)=.089 (.033-.13), NFI=.99, NNFI=.98, CFI=.99, and SRMR=.017. Furthermore, measurement invariance results supported structural and metric invariance (ΔCFI≤.010, RMSEA≤.015, ΔSRMR≤.030), and AVE and CR values (AVE>.841, CR>.856; CR>AVE) confirmed convergent validity. All correlations for concurrent validity were significant (p=.000). The test-retest reliability was calculated as .94, and internal consistency as .95. Consequently, the PIES is deemed a valid and reliable tool for assessing exercise procrastination behavior.