The Validity and Reliability Study of the Turkish Version of the Health Behavior Scale for Cancer Patients

AIM: The aim of the study was to conduct a validity and reliability study of the Health Behavior Scale for Cancer Patients and to adapt the scale to the Turkish language and culture. METHODS: The research is a methodological study. The sample consisted of a total of 440 cancer patients who came to the outpatient chemotherapy unit and oncology outpatient clinic of a university hospital and followed the social media accounts of a cancer-related association. Patients aged 18 and over and with at least a primary school education were included in the study. Data were collected between January and December 2022 with the Descriptive Characteristics Form and The Health Behavior Scale for Cancer Patients. For the validity analysis, language equivalence, content validity, exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed. For the reliability, internal consistency, item-total score correlation, and test-retest were performed. RESULTS: According to the exploratory factor analysis, a two-factor structure was obtained and confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. According to the factor loadings (0.60-0.87), total variance explained (61.575), and fit indices, the construct validity of the scale was found to be sufficient. In the reliability analyses, Cronbach's α internal consistency coefficient (0.85) was found to be highly reliable. It was determined that there was a very strong relationship between the pre-test and the post-test (r = 0.87, p < .001). CONCLUSION: The Health Behavior Scale for Cancer Patients has been revealed to be a valid and reliable measurement tool suitable for Turkish culture. Using this scale, cancer patients' adherence to medical health services and individual protective health behaviors can be determined.