Development and Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Golf Participation Questionnaire for Older Adults (GPQOA)

Abstract

A series of four studies were conducted to develop and psychometrically evaluate a questionnaire to assess older adults’ reasons for participating in golf (Golf Participation Questionnaire for Older Adults: GPQOA). In the first study, a 30-item questionnaire was developed using a Delphi process in collaboration with industry partners and academic leaders. In the second study, Confirmatory Factor Analysis was used to identify the best model fit based on data from 402 adults aged 55–74. A revised version was then tested in a third study using an independent sample of 419 adults and provided support for a nine-factor 30-item model. In the final study, measurement invariance across gender was evaluated and supported. The GPQOA is an empirically driven questionnaire with psychometric support that can be used to investigate the reasons for and benefits of participating in regular golf for older adults.

Keywords

• sport
• psychometrics
• aging
• invariance
• older golfers