Instrument refinement for breast cancer screening behaviors

Area of Science:

• Health Psychology
• Medical Sociology
• Cancer Prevention Research

Background:

• The Health Belief Model (HBM) is a framework for understanding health behaviors.
• Accurate measurement of HBM constructs is crucial for effective health interventions.
• Breast cancer screening, including breast self-examination (BSE), is vital for early detection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To refine an instrument measuring HBM concepts related to breast cancer and BSE.
• To enhance the measurement of susceptibility, seriousness, benefits, barriers, health motivation, and confidence.
• To provide a validated tool for research and clinical application in breast cancer prevention.

Main Methods:

• Development and refinement of attitudinal scales using a Likert format.
• Content analysis by national experts for item validation.
• Exploratory factor analysis for construct validity.
• Simultaneous multiple regression and bivariate correlations for predictive validity.
• Cronbach's alpha and test-retest correlations for reliability assessment.

Main Results:

• The revised instrument demonstrated strong reliability, with Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranging from .80 to .93.
• Test-retest correlations indicated moderate stability, ranging from .45 to .70.
• Construct and predictive validity were established, confirming the instrument's ability to measure HBM constructs and predict BSE behavior.

Conclusions:

• The refined instrument effectively measures Health Belief Model constructs relevant to breast cancer and breast self-examination.
• The validated tool can be utilized to assess women's beliefs and inform targeted interventions for improving BSE practices.
• This contributes to the development of evidence-based strategies for breast cancer early detection and prevention.