Investigation of psychometric properties of Turkish version of nursing students' attitudes and beliefs towards childhood obesity scale

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the Turkish psychometric properties of The Attitudes and Beliefs of Nursing Students Towards the Childhood Overweight Scale. Methods: The study was conducted with 219 nursing students. The data were obtained with the ‘Information Form’ and the ‘Attitudes and Beliefs of Nursing Students Towards Childhood Overweight. Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines was implemented in the study. Result: Original scale was created using the Attitudes Towards Obese Person Scale (ATOP) and the Beliefs About Obese Persons Scale (BAOP). ATOP consists of 13 items and two sub-dimensions (self-concept, social relationships) in a 5-point Likert type that evaluates nursing students' attitudes towards childhood obesity. BAOP is 5-point Likert-type and consists of 6 items that evaluate nursing students' beliefs on childhood obesity. When the item-total score correlations were examined in the study, two items showing a negative correlation in the “ATOP” were removed. Cronbach's alpha was 0.80 for the ATOP and 0.83 for the BAOP. In the exploratory EFA and confirmatory CFA factor analyses, the factor loading of all items was >0.40 for both scales. Conclusion: It was determined that Turkish psychometric properties of the Nursing Students' Attitudes and Beliefs towards Childhood Obesity Scales were valid and reliable.