Development of a women's health environmental pollution awareness scale and analysis of its psychometric properties

Environmental pollution represents an important threat to women's health due to its potential effects on reproductive, maternal, hormonal, and general health outcomes. This study aimed to develop the Environmental Pollution Awareness Scale for Women's Health (EPAS-WH) and evaluate its psychometric properties.

This methodological study was conducted with three independent samples consisting of a total of 760 women (Sample A: M age = 24.4 ± 7.8; Sample B: M age = 25.4 ± 8.7; Sample C: M age = 24.6 ± 8.2). The scale development process included item generation, expert evaluation, content validity analysis, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), reliability analyses, test-retest reliability, and criterion-related validity assessment. Content validity was evaluated using the Lawshe technique. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega coefficients, while criterion-related validity was examined through correlations with the Eco-Anxiety Scale.

Content validity analysis supported the relevance of the scale items (CVI = 0.889). EFA revealed a unidimensional structure consisting of 8 items, explaining 66.5% of the total variance. CFA confirmed the single-factor structure and demonstrated good model fit. The EPAS-WH showed excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.940; McDonald's ω = 0.932), strong construct reliability (CR = 0.93), and adequate convergent validity (AVE = 0.63). Test-retest analysis demonstrated good temporal stability (ICC = 0.87). In addition, significant positive correlations between EPAS-WH and eco-anxiety scores supported criterion-related validity.

The EPAS-WH is a valid, reliable, and psychometrically robust measurement instrument for assessing women's awareness of environmental pollution-related health risks. The scale may be used in research, public health practices, and educational interventions aimed at evaluating and improving environmental health awareness among women.