Development of Emerging Infectious Diseases Preventive Health Behavior (EID-PHB) Scale and Validation of the Complex...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Behavior Research
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Emerging Infectious Diseases (EIDs) pose a significant global health threat, necessitating effective preventive measures.
• Existing research on preventive behaviors often relies on scales that may impact findings.
• Understanding and quantifying preventive behaviors are crucial for mitigating EID impact.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Emerging Infectious Diseases Preventive Health Behavior (EID-PHB) Scale.
• To assess the reliability and validity of complex models underlying the EID-PHB Scale.

Main Methods:

• Item generation through literature review and expert/adult interviews for conceptual framework and validity.
• Online survey data collected from 533 participants for psychometric analysis.
• Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) used for scale validation.
• Reliability and various validity tests (convergent, discriminant, criterion) conducted.

Main Results:

• The final EID-PHB Scale consists of 34 items across six components: droplet, contact, airborne, bloodborne, environmental prevention, and psychological coping.
• Confirmatory Factor Analysis confirmed a good fit for complex models, validating the integrated factors.
• The scale demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.92) and strong criterion validity (r = 0.85, p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• The EID-PHB Scale is a psychometrically sound tool for assessing preventive behaviors against EIDs.
• This scale can inform future research, clinical practice, education, and public health policy development.
• The EID-PHB Scale is expected to enhance strategies for improving individual and public health outcomes related to EIDs.