Development and Initial Validation of the Exercise Behavioral Inconsistency Scale (ExBIS): Factor Structure, Reliability, Measurement Invariance, and Known-Groups Validity

Many adults hold exercise intentions they do not enact, yet no instrument captures the cognitive–affective experience of this gap. This study developed and validated the Exercise Behavioral Inconsistency Scale (ExBIS), which measures four facets as a profile rather than a summative trait—intention level (IL), intention-action gap (IAG), emotional dissonance (ED), and internal rationalization (IR). Adults in Türkiye (N = 594; 57.9% male; Mage = 21.02 years) completed a 20-item Turkish pool, split into exploratory and confirmatory analyses (n = 297 each); 5 items were removed, yielding 15 items. Parallel analysis and the minimum average partial test supported four factors explaining 67.1% of variance (loadings 0.56–0.96). Confirmatory analysis replicated the structure, χ2(84) = 187.90, CFI = 0.954, RMSEA = 0.065, SRMR = 0.057, outperforming simpler alternatives. Neither a second-order nor a bifactor model supported a general factor (ECV = 0.37, ωH = 0.30), so scores form a four-facet profile rather than a total, clustering weakly into IL/ED and IAG/IR. The McDonald’s omega was 0.78–0.90, and full scalar invariance held across gender and exercise-frequency groups. Subscales discriminated frequency groups as hypothesized (ω2 = 0.031–0.081). These cross-sectional data come from a young Turkish convenience sample surveyed in one language, so replication is required.