<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"> Background: Attitude is recognized as a key determinant of health-related behaviors, including calcium intake for prevention of osteoporosis. Most existing instruments that measure attitudes towards calcium consumption are not appropriate for use in the Thai population because they focus on attitudes towards the consumption of dairy products, which are not a common source of calcium for Thais.Objectives: To develop and validate an instrument for measuring attitudes towards calcium consumption among Thai adults.Methods: An initial attitudinal scale (25 items) was developed and administered to 250 Thais (age ≥20 years) living in Khon Kaen, the largest province in the northeast Thailand, to assess its dimensions using exploratory factor analysis. Three factors were identified. The scale was reduced to 15 items and administered to 733 subjects to validate the identified factor structure and optimize the length of the scale.Results: A three-factor model (10 items) was validated and interpreted as (1) a negative effect of calcium consumption on the body (4 items, reliability = 0.90), (2) the health benefits of calcium consumption for the body (3 items, reliability = 0.78), and (3) the need to take calcium on a regular basis (3 items, reliability = 0.86). The model fitted the data well (relative χ2 = 1.43, adjusted goodness-of-fit index = 0.98, confirmatory fit index = 0.997, root mean square error of approximation = 0.024).Conclusion: The developed scale is a reliable and useful instrument for measuring attitudes towards calcium consumption. Further research is needed to validate the scale in different populations.</abstract>

Background: Attitude is recognized as a key determinant of health-related behaviors, including calcium intake for prevention of osteoporosis. Most existing instruments that measure attitudes towards calcium consumption are not appropriate for use in the Thai population because they focus on attitudes towards the consumption of dairy products, which are not a common source of calcium for Thais.Objectives: To develop and validate an instrument for measuring attitudes towards calcium consumption among Thai adults.Methods: An initial attitudinal scale (25 items) was developed and administered to 250 Thais (age ≥20 years) living in Khon Kaen, the largest province in the northeast Thailand, to assess its dimensions using exploratory factor analysis. Three factors were identified. The scale was reduced to 15 items and administered to 733 subjects to validate the identified factor structure and optimize the length of the scale.Results: A three-factor model (10 items) was validated and interpreted as (1) a negative effect of calcium consumption on the body (4 items, reliability = 0.90), (2) the health benefits of calcium consumption for the body (3 items, reliability = 0.78), and (3) the need to take calcium on a regular basis (3 items, reliability = 0.86). The model fitted the data well (relative χ2 = 1.43, adjusted goodness-of-fit index = 0.98, confirmatory fit index = 0.997, root mean square error of approximation = 0.024).Conclusion: The developed scale is a reliable and useful instrument for measuring attitudes towards calcium consumption. Further research is needed to validate the scale in different populations.

Brief communication (Original). Development and validation of a scale for “attitudes towards calcium consumption”

Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University,

Sirindhorn College of Public Health, Khon Kaen 40000,

Department of Social and Administrative Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002, Thailand

Center of Research and Development in Herbal Health Products, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen 40002,

Asian Biomedicine

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Background: Attitude is recognized as a key determinant of health-related behaviors, including calcium intake for prevention of osteoporosis. Most existing...

Brief communication (Original). Development and validation of a scale for “attitudes towards calcium consumption”

Published Online: Feb 04, 2017

Page range: 751 - 758

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5372/1905-7415.0806.353

Keywords
Attitudes towards calcium, attitudinal scale, calcium, factor analysis, validation of an instrument

© 2017

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Brief communication (Original). Development and validation of a scale for “attitudes towards calcium consumption”

Published Online: Feb 04, 2017

Page range: 751 - 758

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5372/1905-7415.0806.353

KeywordsAttitudes towards calcium, attitudinal scale, calcium, factor analysis, validation of an instrument

© 2017

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 License.

Keywords
Attitudes towards calcium, attitudinal scale, calcium, factor analysis, validation of an instrument