Development and Psychometric Properties of Scale for Safe Pesticide Use Behaviors Assessment Based on the Health Belief Model.

Objectives: This study aimed to develop and validate a measurement tool that provides a model-based assessment of health beliefs affecting individuals' safe pesticide use behaviors.

Methods: This study employed a methodological design. The study sample consisted of 701 agricultural workers engaged in pesticide-related work in a district in southern Türkiye. Data were collected using a sociodemographic form and the 42-item draft version of the Health Belief Model Scale for Safe Pesticide Use Behaviors (HeBSaPUB). Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to determine construct validity. Cronbach's alpha internal consistency and test-retest correlation coefficients were calculated for reliability.

Results: The 39-item HeBSaPUB scale showed good psychometric properties in terms of reliability, content validity, and construct validity. In the EFA, a six-factor structure emerged, explaining 61.36% of the total variance in the measured variables: perceived susceptibility, perceived barriers, perceived severity, perceived benefits, cues to action, and self-efficacy. This structure was confirmed by CFA using a cross-validation approach. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.90 for the whole scale and ranged from 0.81 to 0.92 for the sub-dimensions. The test-retest reliability coefficient values of the scale were between 0.763 and 0.927. The items on the scale were not additive, and each sub-dimension was evaluated independently. An increase in the scores of perceived susceptibility, perceived benefit, perceived severity, cues to action, and self-efficacy, along with a decrease in the scores of perceived barriers, indicated positive health beliefs.

Conclusion: The results of the study demonstrated that the HeBSaPUB scale is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring attitudes and beliefs toward safe behaviors in preventing the risk of pesticide exposure. The HeBSaPUB scale can contribute to identifying needs for health professionals.