I want to move my body - right now! The CRAVE Scale to measure state motivation for physical activity and sedentary behavior
Energy expenditure undulates throughout the day and likely motivation for it. The aim of this investigation was to create a short assessment (CRAVE) to measure transient wants or desires for physical activity and sedentary behaviors. Five studies were conducted to construct and validate the scale, with 1035 subjects completing the scale a total of 1,697 times. In Study 1, participants (n= 402, M_age = 20.9 +/- 3.2) completed a questionnaire inquiring about the 'want' or 'desire' to perform behaviors 'at the present moment'. Seven items related to physical activity (e.g., move my body). Eight items addressed sedentary behaviors (e.g., rest my body). Exploratory factor analysis revealed that 13 items should be retained, loading onto two factors (rest, move). In Study 2 (n= 444, M_age = 20.3 +/- 2.9) a confirmatory factor analysis revealed a good fit for the model (CFI=.99, RMSEA=.049). Items loaded strongly onto two latent factors (>.7). Rest/move were inversely related for both sets of factor analyses (-.75 for both). In Study 3, 127 participants (M_age= 28.1 +/- 7.9) completed the CRAVE up to 10 times over a 2-year period. Cronbach alphas were high (>.86). A linear mixed model revealed that test-retest reliability was stronger when the CRAVE was administered twice on the same day (>.73) than compared to retest over 6-month intervals (>.37). In Study 4, a maximal treadmill test was completed by 21 participants (M_age = 20.5 +/- 1.4). The CRAVE was completed immediately pre and post, along with other surveys for perceived physical fatigue. Desire to move decreased 35% and rest increased 61%. Changes in perceived physical fatigue correlated with move (r= -.52) and rest (r= .53). In Study 5, 41 university students (M_age = 22.5 +/- 5.1) sat quietly during a 50-minute lecture. They completed the CRAVE at 3 times points along with the Activation/Deactivation Checklist. Desire to move increased 15% while rest decreased 15%. Perceived energy, but not tension, was related to both move (r= .38) and rest (r= -.38). In conclusion, the CRAVE scale has good psychometric properties. Future studies need to explore how desires to move and rest relate to dynamic changes in physical activity and sedentarism.