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Psychometric evaluation of hill-bone medication adherence subscale
Youngshin Song1, Hae-Ra Han2, Hee-Jung Song2
1School of Nursing, Eulji University, South Korea.
Insights
The Korean version of the Hill-Bone Medication Adherence (HBMA-K) scale is a reliable tool for assessing high blood pressure (HBP) medication adherence in Korean Americans. This validated scale can help identify patients needing support for better HBP management.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Psychometrics
- Chronic Disease Management
Background:
- Medication adherence is crucial for managing high blood pressure (HBP).
- The Hill-Bone Medication Adherence (HBMA) scale is widely used but lacks validation in Korean American populations, who have a high HBP prevalence.
- This study addresses the need for a culturally validated tool for this demographic.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate a Korean translation of the HBMA scale (HBMA-K) for assessing medication adherence in Korean Americans with HBP.
- To establish the psychometric properties of the HBMA-K scale within this specific population.
Main Methods:
- Translation and back-translation of the original HBMA scale into Korean.
- Reliability testing using Cronbach's alpha.
- Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) for construct validity and Pearson's correlation for concurrent validity with blood pressure, HBP knowledge, and beliefs.
Main Results:
- EFA yielded an 8-item, one-factor solution explaining 35.4% of the variance.
- The HBMA-K scale demonstrated good reliability (Cronbach's alpha = .80).
- Significant correlations were found between HBMA-K scores and systolic BP (r=.18), diastolic BP (r=.24), HBP knowledge (r=-.13), and HBP beliefs (r=-.18).
Conclusions:
- The 8-item HBMA-K scale is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring medication adherence among Korean Americans with HBP.
- The scale is suitable for use in community and clinical settings to screen for low medication adherence.
- This validated tool can aid in targeted interventions for improving HBP management in Korean Americans.
Purpose:
Medication adherence is an essential part of the management and control of high blood pressure (HBP). Although the Hill-Bone Medication Adherence (HBMA) scale is one of the most frequently used instruments for measuring HBP medication adherence, the psychometric properties of the scale have never been tested among Korean Americans, a population that experiences a disproportionately high prevalence of HBP. Therefore, the objective of this study is to validate a Korean version of the HBMA subscale (HBMA-K).
Method:
We used two, independent samples of Korean Americans (KAs) (combined n = 525) who participated in community-based intervention trials for HBP control. To develop the HBMA-K, the original scale was translated into Korean and then back translated into English. Reliability was assessed by calculating the Cronbach's alpha. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was done to assess construct validity. We also calculated the Pearson's correlation coefficients between the scale and theoretically driven variables such as blood pressure, knowledge, and HBP belief to test concurrent validity.
Results:
The EFA revealed a one-factor solution with eight items, explaining 35.4% of the variance. Cronbach's alpha was .80. The 8-item HBMA-K scale was significantly associated with systolic blood pressure (BP) (r = .18, p < .01), diastolic BP (r = .24, p < .01), HBP knowledge (r = -.13, p < .01), and HBP belief score (r = -.18, p < .05).
Conclusions:
The 8-item HBMA-K scale is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring medication adherence among KAs with HBP. It can be easily administered at community and clinical settings to screen hypertensive patients with low medication adherence.
