Validation of health promoting lifestyle profile-II: A confirmatory study with a Malaysian undergraduate students sample

Abstract

Objective: To determine the factor structure of the Health Promoting Behaviours (HPB) component of Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile-II among undergraduate students in Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted among undergraduate students. The data was collected in the USM campus using a proportionate cluster sampling method. The HPB questionnaire was handed to students in the lecture hall and collected immediately when the lecture finished. CFA was conducted using robust maximum likelihood estimation due to violation of multivariate normality assumption. A three-factor model was tested for measurement model validity and construct validity. Results: A total of 788 students participated in the study. CFA of a 21-item, three-factor model yielded an adequate goodness-of-fit values. The measurement model also showed a good convergent and discriminant validity after model re-specification. Conclusion: The health promoting behaviours scale was proven to have a valid measurement model and reliable constructs. It was deemed suitable for use to measure the health promoting behaviours components of a healthy lifestyle among Malaysian undergraduate students. It was recommended to further conduct cross-validation studies in other Malaysian public universities to provide additional empirical evidence to support its use.