A Study to Develop a Health Self-Efficacy Scale

Abstract

Health self-efficacy (HS), defined as the belief of being able to take actions necessary to be healthy, is crucial for improving individuals’ health-related behaviors. That is why there is a need for a valid and reliable scale to measure people’s level of HS. This study aims to develop a scale that enables the measurement of HS of individuals. This is a study for developing a scale that uses the survey methodology. Data obtained from two different sample groups have been evaluated through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Through the factor analysis carried out to put forward the framework of the scale, we determined that the HS comes under nine categories, and that 81.4% of HS is explored. We have examined the 9-factor framework of the “Health Self-Efficacy Scale” (HSS) that was developed through confirmatory factor analysis, observing that its fit indices are acceptable and the HS framework is confirmed. The Cronbach’s alpha value of the scale is .93 and its sub-dimensions are between .85 - .96. The HSS, consisting of 36 items and providing data regarding the beliefs of individuals that they can manage to fulfill health-related practices, is a valid and reliable tool of measurement