Intention to Quit Smoking Scale: Development and Validation

Abstract

Smoking cessation efforts are made in many countries and the results of these efforts should be measured. Therefore, there is a need for a short, feasible and validated scale that can measure the intention to quit smoking. The purpose of this study is to investigate the psychometric properties of the “Intention to Quit Smoking Scale (IQSS)”. Validity and reliability properties of the scale were examined. A total of 497 people were included in the study. First, 20 candidate items were prepared based on literature review and expert opinions and the scale with candidate items were subjected to a pilot test. The dimensional structure was determined statistically using confirmatory factor analysis and confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. Cronbach’s α coefficient, CR and AVE values were calculated to examine internal consistency, composite reliability and convergent validity. A scale with one factor consisting of eight items was obtained. The fit indices of the single factor structure were at an acceptable level (X2/df 1.77, GFI 0.94, AGFI 0.88, CFI 0.98, NFI 0.97, RMSEA 0.079). Cronbach's alpha for IQSS was 0.943. CR was 0.95 and AVE was 0.96. The test-retest consistency of the scale was high (r=0.856). Correlations with “Smoking Cessation Success Prediction Scale” and its sub-dimensions showed that the scale provided concurrent validity (r=0.669; 0.698; 0.721 respectively). The IQSS is a short, reliable and valid scale that can measure the intention to quit smoking at the time of measurement and it can be easily used in future studies.