Development of the postural habits and awareness scale: a reliability and validity study

Objectives. The aim of this study was to develop a scale that assesses postural awareness and habits, as well as to establish the validity and reliability thereof. Methods. The 19-item postural habits and awareness scale (PHAS) was developed. The scale has a score range of 0-95, with a higher score indicating good posture and awareness. A total of 278 healthy adults with an age range of 18-65 years were included in the study. The sociodemographic form, short form 36 health survey (SF-36) and body awareness questionnaire (BAQ) were used to test the validity and reliability of this newly developed scale. Results. From factor analyses, it was observed that the items clustered into four factors, which explained 55.99% of the variance. Cronbach's α for each factor of the scale varied between 0.619 and 0.832. A high correlation was observed regarding test-retest reliability of the scale (r = 0.905). Conclusion. This newly developed self-reported scale allows for the comprehensive determination of both postural habits and awareness together. The PHAS is a valid and reliable scale that can be used by professionals who are interested in posture.