Abstract
Citation
Umstattd MR, Baller SL, Hennessy E, Hartley D, Economos CD, Hyatt RR, Yousefian A, Hallam JS. Development of the Rural Active Living Perceived Environmental Support Scale (RALPESS). J Phys Act Health 2012 Jul;9(5):724-30. Epub 2011 Jul 29.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Evidence supports the role of physical and social environments in active living, including perception of environment. However, measurement of perceived environments in rural settings is lacking. This study describes the development of the Rural Active Living Perceived Environmental Support Scale (RALPESS). METHODS: Premised on social ecological and cognitive perspectives, 85 initial items were generated through a literature review and a mixed-methods investigation of "activity-friendly" environments. Items were organized by resource areas--town center, indoor and outdoor physical activity areas, schools, churches, and areas around the home/neighborhood--and submitted for expert panel review. In 2009, a revised questionnaire was disseminated to adolescents, parents, public school staff, and older adults in 2 rural southeastern United States counties. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation was used to explore factor structure (n = 542). RESULTS: The final analysis yielded 33 items with 7 factors: 1) church facilities, 2) town center connectivity, 3) indoor areas, 4) around the home/neighborhood, 5) town center physical activity resources, 6) school grounds, and 7) outdoor areas. CONCLUSIONS: The RALPESS is a valid, internally consistent, and practically useful instrument to measure perceptions of rural environments in the context of physical activity across the lifespan. Confirmatory factor analysis is recommended to validate factor structure.
Full Text
The full text is available at https://dx.doi.org/10.1123/jpah.9.5.724
At A Glance
Physical Activity Environment Variables
| # | Type of Environment/Location |
|---|---|
| 542 | Community/Neighborhood as a Whole |
| - | Gyms/Fitness Centers |
| - | Parks/Playgrounds |
| - | Recreational Facility/Area |
| - | Religious Facilities |
| - | School |
| # | Scale |
|---|---|
| - | Equipment |
| - | Trail/path/corridor |
| Measure | objective | perceived |
|---|---|---|
| Street Connectivity | ✘ | ✔ |
| Crime/Safety | ✘ | ✔ |
| Pedestrian/Traffic Safety | ✘ | ✔ |
| Facility Adequacy/Appeal or Quality | ✘ | ✔ |
| Restrooms, water fountains | ✘ | ✔ |
Domain(s)
Physical Activity Environment
Measure Type
Questionnaire
Measure Availability
Measure included in article
Number of Items
33 Reported
Study location
Small Town/Rural
Alabama, Mississippi, Two counties in the Alabama-Mississippi delta region, USA
Languages
English
Information about Development of Measure
An item pool for the Rural Active Living Perceived Environmental Support Scale (RALPESS) was generated based on qualitative and quantitative findings from three projects with data collection sites in six states aimed to define activity-friendly rural environments. An expert panel provided feedback and examined face and content validity. The RALPESS was then field-tested with rural high school youth to assess completion time.
Study Design
Study Participants
Age
12 - 18 Years
Adults
Sex
Female
Male
Race/Ethnicity
Hispanic
White
Black/African American
Asian
American Indian/Alaska Native
Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander
Predominantly Low-income/Low-SES
No
Sample Size
542
Study Design
Design Type
Validation/Reliability
Health Outcomes Assessed
None
Obesity Measures
Not reported
BMI Measured or Self-reported
Not reported
Covariates
Not available
Data Reported on Race/Ethnicity
Quantitative data on study sample
Data Reported on SES
Quantitative data on study sample
SES-related Variables
Income
Education
How To Use
Administration
Who Administered
Self-administered
How Administered
In-person
Time Required
20 to 30 minutes
Training Required
Not reported
Instructions on Use
Instructions on instrument use included in article
Data Analysis
Data Collection/Analysis Costs
Not reported
Data Collection/Protocol
Students recruited from public high schools took a questionnaire packet home, which included informed consent and assent forms, a student survey, and a parent/guardian survey to be completed by one of the student's parents or guardians.
Instructions on Data Analysis
Instructions on analysis included in article
Validity (0)
There are no validity tests reported for this measure.
Reliability (1)
| Type of reliability | Construct/subscale assessed | Test/statistic used | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internal Consistency | Rural Active Living Perceived Environmental Support Scale | Cronbach's alpha | Alpha (factors) = 0.820 to 0.938; Alpha (overall scale) = 0.941 |