Chinese Version of the Healthy Lifestyle Beliefs Scale for Taiwanese Adolescents: A Psychometric Study

Background Taiwanese adolescents’ unhealthy lifestyles (e.g., unhealthy eating and sedentary behavior) are associated with excess weight and obesity, which affect their physical and mental health (e.g., depression). Because adolescents’ beliefs about healthy lifestyles predict their actual lifestyles, a valid and reliable tool to measure their beliefs about healthy lifestyles is needed. Methods The Healthy Lifestyle Behavior Scale (HLBS) was translated into Chinese based on recommended guidelines. A convenience sample of 186 Taiwanese adolescents completed the Chinese version Healthy Lifestyle Behavior Scale (CHLBS) anonymously. We used Cronbach's α to determine the internal consistency of the CHLBS and exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses to examine the factor structure. Results The Cronbach's α for the CHLBS was.94. Exploratory analysis suggested that there were two factors and explained 57% of the total variance. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated an acceptable fit. Conclusion The CHLBS is a reliable and valid scale. It can be used to gather information about Taiwanese adolescents’ beliefs about healthy lifestyles, which will assist in developing culturally and developmentally relevant interventions.