The Validity and Reliability of the Digital Gaming and Physical Activity Relationship Scales Amongst Finnish Adolescents

Although physical activity (PA) is an established pastime, digital gaming (DG) has created a new social world for young people. Scales to measure digital gaming relationships (DGRs) and physical activity relationships (PARs) are in their infancy. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the properties and differences of the DGR and PAR scales used by adolescents. A convenience sample of high school students was recruited for the study. Participants completed the same questionnaire twice, with a 3-week interval between administrations. After merging and matching the two sets of responses, data from 116 students were analysed using intraclass correlation coefficients to assess intrarater reliability and principal component analyses to evaluate convergent validity. T-tests were used to determine gender differences in the DGR dimensions and linear associations with gaming and PA behaviour. After determining reliable items, five dimensions were found (competitiveness, social aspects, self-development, mental health and functional features). Cronbach′s alphas for each dimension ranged from 0.74 to 0.94. Scores from males in four of the five dimensions were statistically significantly higher than females, and there were linear associations with gaming behaviour in four dimensions. To conclude, the DGR and PAR scales seem to be suitable for use by adolescents in surveys.