Although prevention programs often call on youth to be personally reflective and responsive, these processes are rarely measured. This paper describes the development and validation of a 15-item measure that incorporates motivation, cognitive, and behavioral dimensions of adolescent agency. The instrument demonstrates good reliablity and results in a clean one-factor solution. Agency is associated with number of hours spent physically active, positive and negative peer influence, and knowledge of a greater number of places to be physically active. It is not associated with property damage delinquency. Results vary somewhat by gender and grade. Use of this construct and measure to the field of prevention is discussed, as are study limitations and future directions.
