Factorial structure of two health belief measures among older adults

Confirmatory factor analysis of Wallston's Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale and Krantz's Health Opinion Survey was conducted using 197 nondiabetic and 171 diabetic older adults. Qualified support was found for the 3-factor structure of the Wallston measure when applied to older adults. The Krantz model provided a less-than-adequate representation of the older sample's data. When the items from these 2 measures were combined, a 4-factor structure was found. Multisample simultaneous factor analyses using LISREL revealed that the factor structures of the Wallston and the Krantz measures fit the diabetic and the nondiabetic samples fairly equivalently. Despite the similarities in factor structures, diabetic individuals reported greater belief in powerful others and less desire for behavioral involvement in the health-care process than did nondiabetics.