Abstract

ALVES, Nuno Correia  and  FIGUEIRAS, Maria João. The Modern Health Worries Scale: Adaptation for the Portuguese Population. Psic., Saúde & Doenças [online]. 2005, vol.6, n.1, pp.91-107. ISSN 1645-0086.

The aim of this study was to develop a Portuguese version of the modern health worries scale (Petrie et al., 2001), in order to study what is the nature and structure of these worries in a Portuguese sample. The consequences of features of modernity, such as genetically modified food, environmental pollution, pesticides, cell phones and high tension power lines, are routinely presented on popular magazines and other media. The study was developed in two stages: (1) a pilot study with 45 participants and (2) a study with 1113 participants, recruited from different working environments across the country. The test-retest correlations are good for all items. The principal component analysis produced a 28-item solution in four factors, explaining 64 % of the total variance. The internal consistency was high in all the sub-scales and in total scale, both on the pilot study and on the definitive study. These results are consistent with those found by the authors of the original scale, and suggest that this measure will enhance the scope of variables that can influence the health behaviours of the Portuguese population.

Keywords : Health; Modernity; Negative affectivity; Scale adaptation; Worries.

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