The Development and Validation of a Scale to Understand Smoking Cessation Efforts Among Middle-Aged Male Workers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop and test the reliability and validity of a scale assessing the efforts made by midlife adult male smokers to quit smoking. The draft of the scale, designated the Smoking Cessation Assessment of Progress Scale (SCAPS), was developed a qualitative inductive analysis of the characteristics of successful smoking cessation efforts among midlife adult male workers in a previous study by the authors. The subjects were men in their 30s and 40s who were employed, had quit smoking for at least six months, and who had succeeded in quitting without seeking outpatient smoking cessation treatment. After a preliminary survey, the main survey was conducted. Data was analyzed using the maximum likelihood Promax rotation method. Confirmatory factor analysis was subsequently conducted, resulting in the identification of three factors and 17 items. The factors identified were "response to smoking cravings," "perceived benefits associated with successful smoking cessation," and "positive perception of smoking cessation. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for each subscale ranged from 0.702 to 0.873, which were generally favorable. Construct validity was generally ensured by confirmatory factor analysis and the estimates extracted from the results for each factor. The reliability and validity of SCAPS were generally verified.