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First published online October 1, 2014

Constraints of Recreational Sport Participation: Measurement Invariance and Latent Mean Differences across Sex and Physical Activity Status

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to (a) examine the measurement invariance of the Constraint Scale of Sport Participation across sex and physical activity status among the undergraduate students (N = 630) in Hong Kong and (b) compare the latent mean differences across groups. Measurement invariance of the Constraint Scale of Sport Participation across sex of and physical activity status of the participants was examined first. With receiving support on the measurement invariance across groups, latent mean differences of the scores across groups were examined. Multi-group confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the configural, metric, scalar, and structural invariance of the scale was supported across groups. The results of latent mean differences suggested that the women reported significantly higher constraints on time, partner, psychology, knowledge, and interest than the men. The physically inactive participants reported significantly higher scores on all constraints except for accessibility than the physically active participants.

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Article first published online: October 1, 2014
Issue published: October 2014

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© 2014 SAGE Publications.
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PubMed: 25310228

Authors

Affiliations

Jing Dong Liu
Department of Physical Education, Hong Kong Baptist University
Pak Kwong Chung
Department of Physical Education, Hong Kong Baptist University
Wing Ping Chen
Department of Health and Physical Education, Hong Kong Institute of Education

Notes

Address correspondence to Jing Dong Liu, Department of Physical Education, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong or e-mail ([email protected])

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