Construct Validity and Reliability of the 'Lifestyle (PAHO) in the Adult Population' Questionnaire.

Having validated instruments for the evaluation of lifestyles becomes a necessity for professional practice in terms of promoting the adoption of health-promoting behaviors in various aspects of daily life, such as social interactions, nutrition, physical activity, oral health, environmental health, mobility, and psychoactive substance use.

Objective: To evaluate the construct validity and reliability of the 'Lifestyle Questionnaire in the Colombian Population" over 18 years of age from the northeastern of Colombia.

Methodology: A psychometric study was conducted with the participation of 551 adults using the instrument proposed by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). A confirmatory analysis using the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique was carried out, in addition to an internal consistency analysis.

Results: The confirmatory factor analysis reports the same structure, with adequate goodness-of-fit indicators (X²/df = 2.10, CFI = .88, TLI = .87, RSMEA = .05, SRMR = .04). The reliability estimation of the test and its dimensions, with internal consistency coefficients Cronbach's α and McDonald's ω, reported optimal levels in the total test (ω = .93).

Conclusions: The instrument developed by PAHO showed adequate construct validity and reliability indicators for evaluating lifestyles in northeastern Colombian people over 18 years old.