Designing and psychometric assessment of the scale of factors influencing HPV vaccine uptake behaviors in young adults

BACKGROUND: In order to increase HPV vaccination, it is necessary to identify the factors influencing vaccination behavior among different cultures and the young adult populations. To evaluate the factors influencing HPV vaccine uptake behaviors, valid, reliable, and culture-compatible scales are required. This study was conducted with the aim of designing and psychometric assessment of the scale of factors influencing HPV vaccine uptake behaviors in Young Adults (FI(HPV)VUBYA) in Iran. METHODS: The present study was carried out in a mixed-method in two steps: (a) Generating items using a qualitative study and literature review and (b) Reducing items by psychometric assessment of the designed scale. The initial set of items (N = 80) was prepared based on a qualitative study and literature review. A total of 400 young adults participated in online data collection from November 2019 to February 2020. The validity (face, content, and construct) and reliability (internal consistency and stability) of the scale were evaluated. RESULTS: The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed that the scale has 7 factors, explaining 57.84% of the total extracted variance. There was also a knowledge factor that EFA did not analyze, but its validity and reliability were evaluated with 7 other factors. The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed a good model fit. Convergent and divergent validity of the scale was accepted for all factors. Good reliability was also reported for the scale. CONCLUSION: FI(HPV)VUBYA 8-factor scale has good validity and reliability among young Iranian adults. Due to its appropriate psychometric properties, this scale can be used on this population in future studies.