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Background: Sun protection is important for skin cancer prevention, but many adolescents do not protect themselves from the sun. Instrumentation derived from the transtheoretical model (TTM) can be used to study the process of change in health behaviors like sun protection.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to translate and adapt TTM-based decisional balance and self-efficacy for sun protection scales from English to Turkish and assess psychometric properties of scores when the scales are used among Turkish adolescents.
Methods: The Decisional Balance Scale (DBS) and the Self-Efficacy Scale (SES) for sun protection were adapted to Turkish culture using translation and back-translation. The scales were administered to a total of 900 adolescents in two Turkish schools. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to assess dimensionality. External validity was evaluated by comparing subscale scores across reported stages of change for sun protection.
Results: Reliability estimates for scores on the DBS Pros and DBS Cons and the SES Sunscreen Use scales were high and SES Hat Use and Sun Avoidance were moderate. The two-factor correlated model for the DBS and the three-factor correlated model for the SES reported in other studies were confirmed. Means increased across the stages of change for sun protection and sunscreen use for the DBS Pros and the SES subscales as predicted by the TTM, but the pattern of DBS Cons means did not.
Discussion: Scores from the Turkish version of the DBS and SES for sun protection were valid, reliable, and appropriate for Turkish culture. The pattern of means for the SES and DBS Pros across the stages of change supported propositions of the TTM. Theoretical inconsistencies in the pattern of DBS Cons scores across the stages of change suggest that greater attention to conceptualization and measurement of the DBS Cons for sun protection and sunscreen use is needed.
