title: Development of the Rural Active Living Perceived Environmental Support Scale (RALPESS).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Evidence supports the role of physical and social environments in active living, including perception of environment. However, measurement of perceived environments in rural settings is lacking. This study describes the development of the Rural Active Living Perceived Environmental Support Scale (RALPESS).
  
  
  METHODS
  Premised on social ecological and cognitive perspectives, 85 initial items were generated through a literature review and a mixed-methods investigation of "activity-friendly" environments. Items were organized by resource areas--town center, indoor and outdoor physical activity areas, schools, churches, and areas around the home/neighborhood--and submitted for expert panel review. In 2009, a revised questionnaire was disseminated to adolescents, parents, public school staff, and older adults in 2 rural southeastern United States counties. Principal component analysis with varimax rotation was used to explore factor structure (n = 542).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The final analysis yielded 33 items with 7 factors: 1) church facilities, 2) town center connectivity, 3) indoor areas, 4) around the home/neighborhood, 5) town center physical activity resources, 6) school grounds, and 7) outdoor areas.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The RALPESS is a valid, internally consistent, and practically useful instrument to measure perceptions of rural environments in the context of physical activity across the lifespan. Confirmatory factor analysis is recommended to validate factor structure.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Health, Human Performance, and Recreation, Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA.
authors.forename: M Renée
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Umstattd
authors.forename: Stephanie L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Baller
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hennessy
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hartley
authors.forename: Christina D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Economos
authors.forename: Raymond R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Hyatt
authors.forename: Anush
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yousefian
authors.forename: Jeffrey S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Hallam
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004779:Environment Design; D015444:Exercise; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012423:Rural Health; D012424:Rural Population; D015144:Southeastern United States; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D055815:Young Adult