Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #104916

Thilo Kroll, PhD¹, Matthew Kehn, BA², Pei-Shu Ho, PhD², and Melinda Neri, BA². (1) School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Dundee, 11 Airlie Place, Dundee, SC DD1 4HJ, United Kingdom, +44 (0) 1382 348 655, t.kroll@dundee.ac.uk, (2) Center for Health & Disability Research, National Rehabilitation Hospital, 102 Irving Street, NW, Washington, DC 20010

Objective: To develop a psychometrically sound exercise self-efficacy measure for people with spinal cord injury

Background: Self-Efficacy is one of the most widely researched concepts in health promotion. More recently it has received increasing attention from disability researchers, and there has been a quest for psychometrically sound, domain-specific (e.g. exercise) measures for this concept.

Method: The ESES consists of 10 items and was administered as part of the first wave of a nationwide survey on exercise behavior. Reliability of the scale was determined by computing internal consistency (alpha) and split-half (Spearman Brown) coefficients. Content validity and cognitive appropriateness was determined in six cognitive interviews with individuals with SCI from diverse demographic and educational backgrounds. Convergent validity was obtained by correlating the ESES with the 10-item Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (Schwarzer & Jerusalem, 1993).

Results: The reliability analysis involved 105 mostly Caucasian survey participants (43 female, 62 male) with SCI and a mean age of 48 (SD=11:30). Convergent validity analysis involved 20 individuals, and content validity determination six, who were not part of the reliability sample. Internal consistency (alpha) was .941 and split-half (Spearman-Brown) was .914. Cognitive interviews showed that content validity was appropriate. Convergent validity was .3 but was not statistical significance (alpha set at p<.05).

Conclusions: Preliminary findings indicate that the ESES is a reliable instrument with high internal consistency and scale integrity. Content validity appears satisfactory. As a next step, test-retest reliability will be determined and convergent reliability re-examined with a larger sample.

Learning Objectives:

• To identify the critical sequences in the development of a psychometrically sound domain-specific assessment tool for a particular population
• To discuss the significance of the self-efficacy concept in the area of exercise and health promotion for people with spinal cord injury

Keywords: Self-Efficacy, Exercise

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.