Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale
Also known as: PACES, Physical Activity Enjoyment
The Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale (PACES), developed by Kendzierski and DeCarlo (1991), is a 16-item measure of the positive affective responses and enjoyment experienced during or after physical activity. Based on the premise that enjoyment is a powerful predictor of exercise adherence and intrinsic motivation, PACES assesses feelings such as pleasure, fun, satisfaction, and interest during physical activity. The instrument uses semantic differential responses (e.g., 'boring–interesting', 'dull–fun', 'unpleasant–pleasant') to capture the hedonic experience of exercise. PACES is widely used in exercise science, health promotion, and physical education research to identify activities that are most enjoyable for specific populations and to evaluate whether interventions enhance exercise enjoyment.
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When to use it
Use PACES to understand and enhance exercise enjoyment in populations where adherence is a challenge: sedentary adults, obese individuals, older adults, cardiac or diabetes patients, and youth. It is particularly valuable in primary care counseling (to identify which exercise options the patient might enjoy), in fitness centers and physical education (to design more engaging programs), and in research evaluating exercise interventions. Administer PACES to identify activities that are enjoyable for the individual, then prioritize those for long-term adherence. Use it to evaluate whether a group fitness class, app, or personal training program successfully enhances enjoyment. PACES is less useful in contexts focused solely on exercise capacity or compliance; it addresses the affective experience dimension. Choose PACES when you want to understand whether an exercise experience is intrinsically rewarding, which predicts sustainability.
Strengths & limitations
- Strong empirical support: enjoyment during physical activity is one of the strongest predictors of exercise adherence over months to years.
- Simplicity: 16 items with semantic differential format makes PACES quick to administer and intuitive to respondents.
- Psychometric quality: internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.89–0.95), test-retest reliability (r = 0.70–0.82), and convergent validity with intrinsic motivation are well-established.
- Actionable: identifies whether enjoyment is present; if low, guides toward activity modifications to increase pleasure and engagement.
- Sensitive to change: PACES scores shift in response to activity changes or program modifications, making it suitable for intervention evaluation.
- Affective in-the-moment response: PACES captures immediate affective experience, which may not reflect global attitudes about exercise or long-term motivation.
- Transient state measure: enjoyment varies by day, environment, and fitness level; a single PACES administration may not be representative.
- Social desirability bias: respondents may overreport enjoyment if they believe that's the expected answer.
- Does not measure adherence: someone might report high enjoyment during an activity but not repeat it due to time, cost, or accessibility barriers.
- Limited in structured medical settings: for sedentary cardiac or diabetic patients, initial exercise activities may have low enjoyment due to discomfort; PACES may underestimate potential for enjoyment with habituation.
Frequently asked
Should I administer PACES immediately after exercise or later?
Ideally, administer PACES immediately after exercise (or during, for ongoing sessions) while affective responses are still vivid. If administered hours or days later, responses may reflect general attitude about exercise rather than the specific in-the-moment experience. For consistency, specify the timing in your study procedures.
What if someone is new to exercise and rates enjoyment low due to being out of shape?
This is common. Low PACES scores in deconditioned individuals may reflect physical discomfort, self-consciousness, or unfamiliarity rather than inherent dislike of activity. Reassess enjoyment after 4–8 weeks of regular participation; as fitness improves and discomfort decreases, enjoyment often increases. Consider starting with low-impact, enjoyable activities (walking, swimming) rather than high-intensity exercise that may depress initial enjoyment.
Can PACES scores predict whether someone will stick with an exercise program?
Yes, higher PACES scores predict greater exercise adherence over weeks to months. However, PACES alone does not guarantee adherence; other factors (access, time, social support, self-efficacy) also matter. Use PACES as one of several predictors. A person with high enjoyment but low self-efficacy or access may not adhere; conversely, someone with moderate enjoyment but strong social support or medical motivation might persist despite lower pleasure.
Is there a 'cutoff' PACES score that indicates someone will drop out?
No universal cutoff exists, but research suggests scores consistently below 4 (mid-scale) on a 1–7 scale may indicate risk for dropout unless other strong motivations (e.g., medical necessity, social commitment) are present. Use PACES as a screening tool: if scores are low, proactively modify the activity or environment to increase enjoyment rather than wait for dropout.
Sources
- Kendzierski, D., & DeCarlo, K. J. (1991). Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale: two validation studies. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 13(1), 50-64. DOI: 10.1123/jsep.13.1.50 ↗
How to cite this page
ScholarGate. (2026, June 3). Physical Activity Enjoyment Scale. ScholarGate. https://scholargate.app/en/health-behavior/physical-activity-enjoyment-scale
Which method?
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