Mohammad Hossein Delshad

Abstract

Background: Low back pain is a significant health concern for students worldwide. Understanding factors influencing spine care behaviors is crucial for promoting spinal health. Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) posits that expectations play a key role in health behaviors.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of a newly developed questionnaire measuring expectations on spine care behavior among Iranian undergraduate students based on SCT constructs.

Methods: This cross-sectional study employed a stratified random sampling method to include 200 students at Torbat Heydarieh University of Medical Sciences(THUMS), Iran. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 19 and AMOS version 21 software. A researcher-developed questionnaire was administered to a sample of Iranian undergraduate students. The questionnaire assessed constructs aligned with SCT, including self-efficacy, outcome expectations, and barriers related to spine care. Psychometric properties, including content validity, construct validity (exploratory factor analysis), and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), were evaluated.

Results: Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed that the expectations questionnaire explained 78% of the observed variance, with a Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of 92.2% and a p-value < 0.001. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) yielded satisfactory results, demonstrating acceptable construct validity. Additionally, CFA results showed an approximate root-mean-square error of approximation (RMSEA) of 0.068, a goodness-of-fit index (GFI) of 0.976, and an adjusted goodness-of-fit index (AGFI) of 0.975. The questionnaire also demonstrated high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.844) and test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.79, 95% CI: [0.57, 0.85]). The analysis ensured the questionnaire's content validity and identified a factor structure aligned with SCT constructs. Internal consistency for the overall scale and subscales demonstrated good reliability.

Conclusion: The findings suggest the newly developed questionnaire possesses promising psychometric properties for measuring expectations on spine care behavior among Iranian undergraduate students based on SCT. This tool can be valuable for future research investigating the role of expectations in promoting spinal health behaviors among this population.