DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDITY-RELIABILITY STUDY OF THE ASSESSMENT OF THE OBESOGENIC ENVIRONMENT SCALE FOR ADULTS

BACKGROUNDS: In consequence of obesity is multi-factorial health problem that occurs with the interaction of environment and genetic factors, evaluating and intervening the obesogenicity of the environment in which individuals live can play a role as supportive therapy in the treatment of obesity. AIMS: This study aimed that develop and test the reliability-validity analyses of “Assessment of Obesogenic Environment in Adults” which can be used to evaluate the obesogenic environment in Turkey. METHODS: The sample size (n=282) was determined based on the requirement of factor analysis, which should be done with 5-10 times the number of items (38) in the questionnaire. Test-retest and internal consistency reliability methods were used for scale’s reliability analysis. For scale’s validity analysis, expert opinion was consulted, and factor analysis was performed. RESULTS: The analysis shows that the test-retest reliability coefficient value is moderately reliable, and the internal consistency correlation coefficient is reliable. Because of the Content Validity Ratio and Content Validity Index of the scale was determined as 1, no question extraction was performed. According to Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) and Bartlett’s test, the scale was suitable for factor analysis. Outcome of the factor analysis, 32 items were grouped under 4 headings. CONCLUSIONS: The scale developed in the study is a reliable and valid measurement tool for use in Turkey. By using the scale, the environment in which individuals live can be evaluated in the prevention and treatment of obesity, which is a public health problem, and interventions can be made according to the evaluation results