The Development and Validation of the Colonoscopy Joking Scale.

Area of Science:

• Health Communication
• Behavioral Science
• Medical Sociology

Background:

• Joking is a common coping mechanism for stressful health situations like colorectal cancer screening.
• The specific role of joking in colonoscopy screening uptake remains unclear, hindering targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Colonoscopy Joking Scale (CJS) to measure joking behaviors related to colonoscopy screening.
• To explore the relationship between different joking factors and intentions for colonoscopy screening.

Main Methods:

• Recruited 105 participants aged 50-75, non-compliant with colonoscopy screening recommendations, via Amazon Mechanical Turk.
• Participants rated items assessing three joking factors and colonoscopy screening intentions.
• Psychometric analysis was used to validate the scale's convergent, predictive, and discriminant validity.

Main Results:

• Identified three joking factors: screening-related, sexual connotation, and general health.
• The Colonoscopy Joking Scale demonstrated strong psychometric properties, including convergent, predictive, and discriminant validity.
• The scale can differentiate joking behaviors and their association with screening intentions.

Conclusions:

• The Colonoscopy Joking Scale is a valid instrument for assessing joking behaviors in the context of colonoscopy screening.
• Understanding specific joking factors associated with barriers can inform tailored educational and intervention programs for improving colonoscopy uptake.