Perceived Constraints to Seniors’ Participation in Domestic Group Travels
Abstract
The objective of this study was to explore, by developing a content-valid and reliable measurement scale, the construct of perceived constraints to seniors’ participation in domestic group travels in Taiwan. In achieving this objective, the scale development procedure recommended by DeVellis (2003) was adopted. A sample of 398 seniors, who were at least 60 years old, was randomly recruited at senior activity centers. A questionnaire was developed for data collection. Constraints-to-travel items, a measurement of the participants’ perception of how important certain factors were in restricting their motivation for group travels, were generated via literature review, interviews with seniors, and a panel review. Data were factor analyzed to reveal the underlining dimensionality of perceived constraints. A five-factor solution was identified, which explained 66.4% of the total variance. These five factors were named physiological, psychological, economic, social, and safety constraints. Reliability and validity of the scale were established. Implications and applications of the study’s findings were presented.