Development and validation of the pro-environmental behaviour scale for women's health

Development and validation of women's environmental health scales in Korea: severity, susceptibility, response efficacy, self-efficacy, benefit, barrier, personal health behavior, and community health behavior scales

PURPOSE

This study aimed to develop the following scales on women's environmental health and to examine their validity and reliability: severity, susceptibility, response efficacy, self-efficacy, benefit, barrier, personal health behavior, and community health behavior scales.

METHODS

The item pool was generated based on related scales, a wide literature review, and in-depth interviews on women's environmental health according to the revised Rogers' protection motivation theory model. Content validity was verified by three nursing professionals. Exploratory factor analysis, convergent validity, and internal consistency reliability were examined.

RESULTS

The scales included 10 items on severity, 11 on susceptibility, 10 on response efficacy, 14 on self-efficacy, 8 on benefits, 10 on barriers, 17 on personal health behavior, and 16 on community health behavior. Convergent validity with the environmental behavior scale for female adolescents was supported. The Cronbach's α values for internal consistency were good for all scales: severity, .84; susceptibility, .92; response efficacy, .88; self-efficacy, .90; benefits, .91; barriers, .85; personal health behavior, .90; and community health behavior, .91.

CONCLUSION

The evaluation of the psychometric properties shows that these scales are valid and reliable measures of women's environmental health awareness and behaviors. These scales may be helpful for assessing women's environmental health behaviors, thereby contributing to efforts to promote environmental health.

Development and assessment of an instrument measuring environmental health perception and behavior toward reproductive health of female adolescents

AIM

This study is aimed to develop and test the measurement of environmental health perceptions and behavior concerning female adolescents' reproductive health.

METHODS

The scales constructed through literature review, in -depth interview, and factor analysis based on the protection motivation theory. The sample comprised 384 female adolescents for exploratory factor analysis, aged 18-22 years, and recruited in September-November 2019 in South Korea. The construct was validated using factor analysis, convergent validity, and known-group comparisons. Reliability was examined using Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency and half-split reliability.

RESULTS

The environmental health perception for female adolescents (EHP-FA) comprises "Sensitivity," "Susceptibility," "Response efficacy," and "Self-efficacy." The environmental health behavior for female adolescents (EHB-FA), based on principal component analysis, yielded 19 items with five factors, including "Chemical reduction," "Electromagnetic reduction," "Food selection," "Cosmetic selection," "Dust & Gas reduction," and explained 62.6% of the variance (Cronbach's α = .93).

CONCLUSION

The utility of EHP-FA and EHB-FA recommend assessment of female youth's environmental attention and health behavior in the community. Nursing professionals can use the scales to promote female adolescents' reproductive health.

Pro-environmental health behaviour and educational needs among pregnant women: A cross-sectional survey

AIM

To investigate pro-environmental health perceptions, behaviour and educational needs among pregnant women in Korea.

BACKGROUND

Based on concerns about the effects of environmental hazards and pollution on their babies and themselves, pregnant women behave in ways that protect their health. The framework of this study was based on Rogers' protection motivation theory.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey using questionnaires.

METHOD

The sample comprised 358 pregnant women recruited from July - August 2018 in South Korea. Participants were recruited from prenatal classes at two healthcare centres and patients receiving prenatal check-ups at two women's hospitals.

RESULTS

Perceived educational needs were ranked in the following order: particulate matter (23.7%), electromagnetic waves (11.7%), instant food (food additives) (9.0%) and environmental hormones (8.3%). Age (β = 0.17, p = .001), perceived severity (β = 0.19, p = .001) and response efficacy (β = 0.28, p < .001) affected pro-environmental behaviour, which explained 23.0% of the variance.

CONCLUSION

Educational programs are necessary for mitigating environmental risks during pregnancy. Pregnant women engage in pro-environmental behaviour influenced by pro-environmental perceptions, especially perceptions of severity regarding environmental diseases and the efficacy of health behavioural responses. Nursing professionals can use these results to promote pro-environmental health in pregnant women.

IMPACT

This study demonstrated that pregnant women need environmental health programs in prenatal education. Pro-environmental perceptions regarding the severity of the environmental diseases and behavioural efficacy preceded the formation of environmental health behaviours. Nurses should support pregnant women's environmental health through educational interventions including air, electromagnetic, food pollution and endocrine disruptors.

Mindfully Green and Healthy: An Indirect Path from Mindfulness to Ecological Behavior

This paper examines the nature of the link between mindfulness and ecological behavior. Based on the notion that mindfulness incorporates heightened awareness of bodily sensations, we suggest an indirect path from mindfulness to ecological behavior that is mediated through individual health behavior, such as improved nutrition and increased exercise. This indirect path is corroborated with two online studies (n = 147/n = 239) where mindfulness, personal health behavior and ecological behavior were assessed. We conclude that increased mindful awareness of momentary experience indeed favors more healthy lifestyles, which in turn relate to increased ecological behavior beyond personal health benefits. The findings support an agreeableness of personal and planetary health behavior and open up a path for environmental educational interventions based on mindfulness practices and personal health gains.