The Infectious Diseases Preventive Health Behavior Scale (ID-PHBS): Development and Validation with an African Sample

Background: The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends preventive health behavior (PHB) as a sure means of preventing people from being infected with contagious diseases and curbing, for example, the current COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to develop the Infectious Diseases Preventive Health Behavior Scale (ID-PHBS) as an attempt to assess the level of adherence to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) COVID-19 protocols on social distancing, personal hygiene, wearing a face mask, and other precautionary practices. Methods: The ID-PHBS consists of twelve items, each rated on a 7-point Likert scale. The items were constructed based on the Protection Motivation Theory. The scale was developed and initially validated in a nationwide sample from Nigeria (N=703). Several psychometric tests were performed to establish its reliability and validity. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) yielded one latent component. The internal consistency and Split-Half reliability were high and a moderate to strong positive correlation among participants’ scores on different items were recorded. The validity test showed that it had good construct validity and content validity. Conclusion: The ID-PHBS is a 12-point item scale, adjudged reliable and valid in assessing compliance with recommended preventive health protocols among the general population, and the items were designed such that it could be adapted for use during any future outbreak of infectious diseases.