Validation of the Persian version of family health climate scale (FHC-Scale) in Iranian families

Akram Kharazmi,Mahdi Moshki,Moosa Sajjadi,Leila Sadegh Moghadam,Jeannine M Brant

doi:10.1186/s12889-020-09931-8

Abstract

BackgroundFamily health is an important issue which has attracted researchers from different fields. The present study aimed to validate the Persian version of the Family Health Climate Scale (FHC-Scale).MethodsIn this methodological research, a total of 620 individuals presenting to Comprehensive Healthcare centers affiliated with Mashhad University of Medical Sciences and Gonabad University of Medical Sciences were selected through random multistage sampling. Validation of the FHC-Scale was performed. First, the original scale was translated and back-translated. Then its content validity and construct validity were assessed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Reliability was assessed using internal consistency and stability. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 20 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA) and LISREL version 8.5 (SSI Inc., Skokie, IL, USA).ResultsResults of exploratory factor analysis showed that “physical activity” of family health climate scale (FHC-PA) has three dimensions: value, cohesion and information explaining 61.99% of the variance. “Nutrition” of family health climate scale (FHC-NU) had four dimensions of value, communication, cohesion and consensus explaining 66.19% of the variance. Internal consistency of the dimensions of (FHC-PA) ranged 0.82–0.85 and that for FHC-NU ranged 0.82–0.84. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed goodness of fit and confirmed family health climate scale (Nutrition and physical activity).ConclusionResults of the study revealed that the FHC-Scale has appropriate reliability and validity for Iranian families. Therefore, the Persian version of the scale can be used for assessing health-related aspects of family.

Highlights

Health is an important issue which has attracted researchers from different fields
Given that Mashhad is the capital of Khorasan Razavi Province and people of different ethnicities live there, the results of the study can potentially be better generalized across the Iranian population
The majority of fathers did not have a diploma, whereas the mothers were better educated noted by having a diploma and/or college degree

Summary

Introduction

Health is an important issue which has attracted researchers from different fields. The family is a complicated emotional system that is considered the major pillar and the initial organization of any society, where human emotions and intimate relations emerge. It can be said that family functioning affects society functioning in a direct and major way. A healthy society is composed of healthy families. Based on a model developed in Iran, a healthy family is one with positive characteristics such as using healthy parenting styles, having skills for consulting with one another and decision making, and ensuring physical, mental and emotional needs of the members [4]. Healthy family functioning helps children to acquire a positive identity, increase independence, and reduce the incidence of behavioral and communication problems [5]. The comprehensive definition of family health is as follows: family health comprises a family’s quality of life, health of each member, family interactions, spiritual indicators, nutrition, overcoming problems, living environment, entertainment, daily activities, sleep, and sexual desires [6]

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Conclusion