Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the Multiple Lifestyle Behaviors Questionnaire and its Measurement During the COVID-19 Outbreak: The Role of Gender and Exercise

Background and Objectives: This study aimed to assess the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the multiple lifestyle behaviors (MLSB) questionnaire during the COVID-19 outbreak by considering the role of gender and exercise. Methods: This research population included all Iranian men and women in the age range of 18 to 65 years living in Iran in the summer of 2021. The statistical sample included 225 Iranian female athletes and non-athletes and 74 Iranian male athletes and non-athletes (of the team and individual disciplines) who were selected through a snowball sampling method by sharing the questionnaire on social media networks. This questionnaire includes eight factors, including life satisfaction, mental well-being, social participation, mood and feeling, technology use, diet behavior, physical activity, and sleep quality. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the construct validity, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient and split-half coefficient were used to assess reliability. Concurrent validity was also measured using Pearson's correlation coefficient. The obtained data were analyzed with SPSS23 and AMOS22 software.   Results: The obtained results showed that all factors of the questionnaire have factorial loading or high correlation with the whole MLSB questionnaire (P < 0.001). The correlation between the scores of the questionnaire dimensions ranged from 0.12 to 0.678 (P < 0.001) and showed suitable validity. The obtained reliabilities in all dimensions in the questionnaire were over 0.7 and desirable. Conclusion: In the present study, the psychometric properties of the MLSB questionnaire were assessed for healthy athlete and non-athlete adults, providing desirable reliability and validity. The researchers are suggested to use the Persian version of this questionnaire in future research and also assess the psychometric properties of the questionnaire for adolescents, people with special diseases, fields, and different skill/sport levels and sports experiences.