Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Portuguese version of the “European Health and Behaviour Survey-section B”

Abstract

Background

The European Health and Behaviour Survey is a questionaire used to assess a wide range of health-related behaviours, attitudes to health, beliefs concerning the importance of behaviours for health, and health knowledge, using a standardized protocol suitable for translation and administration in different countries of Europe. The objective of this study was to translate and culturally adapt the EHBS-Section B (section used to assess attitudes towards the importance of 25 activities for health) to the Portuguese language and to test its reliability and validity.

Methods

This new version was obtained with forward/backward translations, consensus panels and a pre-test. The Portuguese versions of EHBS-Section B, Health and Risk-taking Behaviour Scale (HRBS), Health Belief Scale (HBS) and a form for the characteristics of the participants were applied to 849 Portuguese adolescents.

Results

Reliability was good with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.867, and an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) of 0.96. Corrected item-total coefficients ranged from 0.301 to 0.620 and weighted kappa coefficients ranged from 0.74 to 0.94 for the 17 items of the EHBS-Section B. Construct validity was supported by the confirmation of two predefined hypotheses involving expected significant correlations between EHBS-Section B, HRBS and HBS that represent similar constructs.

Conclusions

The Portuguese EHBS-Section B exhibited suitable psychometric properties, in terms of internal consistency, reproducibility and construct validity. It can be used in educational and research settings.