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Development of the AIDS Health Belief Scale (AHBS)
1Department of Psychology, Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville 38505, USA.
Insights
The AIDS Health Belief Scale (AHBS) effectively measures key health belief components for disease prevention. This validated scale aids future HIV research and educational program development.
Area of Science:
- Health Psychology
- Public Health
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- The Health Belief Model (HBM) is a framework for understanding health behaviors.
- Measuring components of the HBM is crucial for designing effective health interventions.
- A validated scale for AIDS prevention is needed to assess HBM constructs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate the AIDS Health Belief Scale (AHBS).
- To measure four HBM components: perceived susceptibility, severity, benefits, and barriers.
- To provide a tool for HIV preventive research and education.
Main Methods:
- Scale development involved creating 16 items for the AHBS.
- Phase 1: Correlational analysis with 216 undergraduate students (p < .001).
- Phase 2: Factor analysis and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha .82–.93) with 401 participants.
Main Results:
- All 16 AHBS items significantly correlated with total scores.
- The scale demonstrated high internal consistency (alphas .82–.93).
- Factor analysis confirmed four underlying factors, explaining 64% of variance, aligning with HBM components.
Conclusions:
- The AHBS is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring HBM constructs related to AIDS.
- The scale's structure supports its utility in assessing factors influencing HIV preventive behaviors.
- Findings support the AHBS's application in future HIV prevention research and educational initiatives.
Abstract:
The AIDS Health Belief Scale (AHBS) was developed to measure the four components of the health belief model (HBM): perceived susceptibility to disease, perceived severity of a specific disease, perceived benefits of preventive behavior, and barriers to preventive behavior. Sixteen items were developed for the original AHBS. Results of the first phase of AHBS development showed that all 16 items correlating significantly (p < .001) with total AHBS scores, collected from 216 undergraduate students. The second phase involved results from 401 completed AHBSs and demonstrated a high degree of internal consistency with alphas ranging from .82 to .93. In addition, factor analysis was conducted to determine the underlying structure of the scale. Results demonstrated that four factors (consistent with the four components of the HBM) explained 64% of the variance in response patterns. Implications for future HIV preventive research and education programs are discussed.