Development and Validation of a Scale Measuring the Post Pandemic-Health Promotion Behavior (PP-HPB) of Young Adults in the Digital Era

PURPOSE: This study aims to develop and validate a health promotion behavior scale that reflects the lifestyle changes driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased use of digital devices among young adults. METHODS: Questions were selected using a literature review and validated by a group of experts. The sample consisted of 446 young adults aged 19–29 years living in South Korea who agreed to participate in the study and were surveyed online using Google Forms on September 19 and 20, 2022. Construct validity was confirmed by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses; reliability was tested using Cronbach’s α, and interrater validity was confirmed with the Health Promoting Lifestyle II (HPLP-II) instrument. RESULTS: After conducting an item analysis of 49 preliminary items and an exploratory factor analysis, six factors and 27 items were selected. The six factors were named psychosocial health, personal hygiene, dietary habits, health care, using mobile devices, and physical activity. The confirmatory factor analysis verified the model fit, convergent validity, and discriminant validity. The correlation coefficient with the Health Promoting Lifestyle II (HPLP-II) instrument was 0.69, confirming criterion validity, and the reliability of the final instrument was high (Cronbach’s α = 0.90). CONCLUSION: The validity and reliability of the developed scale were confirmed. The scale can be used to measure the health promotion behavior of young adults in light of the lifestyle changes driven by the COVID-19 pandemic and the increased use of digital devices. We hope that future studies will use the tool as a basis for improving the health promotion behavior of young adults.