International Journal of Women's Health (Jun 2024)
Development and Psychometric Properties of the Health Belief Model Scale for Premature Birth Prevention (HBM-PBP) for Women of Childbearing Age
Abstract
Sun-Hee Kim,1 Sun Young Jung,1 Yoonjung Kim,2 Yu-Jin Lee1 1College of Nursing, Research Institute of Nursing Science, Daegu Catholic University, Daegu, Republic of Korea; 2College of Nursing, Konyang University, Daejeon, Republic of KoreaCorrespondence: Yoonjung Kim, #209 College of Nursing, Konyang University, 158 Gwanjeodong-ro, Seo-gu, Daejeon, 35365, Republic of Korea, Tel +82 42 600 8583, Fax +82 42 600 3277 2850, Email [email protected]: This study aimed to develop the Health Belief Model scale for premature birth prevention (HBM-PBP) and evaluated its psychometric properties in women of childbearing age.Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design and included 724 women of childbearing age with intentions of future childbirth or in their first trimester of pregnancy. An item pool was formulated from the literature and in-depth interviews based on the health belief model. Content validation was conducted by experts and through cognitive interviews with women of childbearing age. Construct and concurrent validity and reliability were evaluated using factor analysis, Pearson’s correlation analysis, and Cronbach’s alpha.Results: The HBM-PBP consisted of 96 items, including perceived susceptibility (21 items, 5 subscales), severity (26 items, 5 subscales), benefits (27 items, 5 subscales), and barriers (22 items, 5 subscales). Convergent and discriminant validity were supported. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the domains ranged from 0.87 to 0.94.Conclusion: The HBM-PBP is a valid and reliable measurement scale with good psychometric properties. It can be used to measure health beliefs in women, either as a whole or in individual domains. Health professionals can leverage the HBM-PBP to discern women’s health beliefs on premature birth, facilitating tailored interventions and educational efforts.Keywords: health belief model, premature birth, reproducibility of results, surveys and questionnaires, women