Psychometric testing of the Maltese versions of the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale and Exercise Motivation Inventory – 2

Background Consideration of psychological factors towards exercise participation is important, especially when placed within a cultural context. Objective The aim of this study was to translate the Exercise Benefits/Barriers Scale and Exercise Motivation Inventory-2 to Maltese and undertake psychometric testing. Methods Maltese-speaking participants (n = 170) aged 18 to 69 years were recruited. 72% completed both questionnaires twice within an 8-to 48-hour period. Reliability was calculated using the Spearman correlation, intraclass correlation coefficient, and Bland–Altman plots. Convergent construct validity was tested using Spearman correlation between theoretical variables. Results In total 155 participants completed the questionnaires at both time points. The test/re-test reliability of the two questionnaires was >0.7 for all analyses. Correlations for validity were statistically significant (p < 0.05). Conclusion The translated tools have similar psychometric properties to the original version; the authors recommend that health care professionals and physical activity practitioners use these tools when examining population-level physical activity behaviour among Maltese-speaking individuals.