Objective:

To examine the reliability and validity of a scale to measure perceived barriers to active commuting to school among Spanish young people.

Method:

The validity of the scale was assessed in a sample of 465 adolescents (14-18 years) using a confirmatory factor analysis and studying its association with self-reported active commuting to school. The reliability of the instrument was evaluated in a sub-sample that completed the scale twice separated by a one-week interval.

Results:

The results showed that the barriers scale had satisfactory fit indices, and two factors were determined. The first included environment- and safety-related items (α = 0.72), while the other concerned planning and psychosocial items (α = 0.64). Active commuting to school showed significant correlations with the total score of the barriers scale (rho = −0.27; p <0.001), with the environmental/safety barriers (rho = −0.22; p <0.001), as well as with the planning/psychosocial barriers (rho = −0.29; p <0.001). Test-retest ICCs for the barriers ranged from 0.68 to 0.77.

Conclusion:

The developed scale has acceptable validity and good reliability to assess barriers to active commuting to school among Spanish young people.

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