Repository logo
 

The design, construction, and testing of an instrument to measure Latina's health beliefs about breast cancer and screening

Simple item page
dc.contributor.authorGonzález, Patricia, author
dc.contributor.authorBorrayo, Evelinn, advisor
dc.date.accessioned2024-03-13T19:53:48Z
dc.date.available2024-03-13T19:53:48Z
dc.date.issued2007
dc.description.abstractHispanic women's (Latinas) survival from breast cancer (BC) is lagging behind the survival rates of non-Hispanic white women, possibly due to more advanced stage of disease at diagnosis (Fernandez-Esquer, Espinoza, Torres, Ramirez, & McAlister (2003). Fewer baseline and routine BC screening procedures among Latinas may explain the observed delay in diagnosis. Participation in BC screening is influenced by various socio-demographic, socio-cultural and psychological factors. The purpose of this study was to develop and test the Latina Breast Cancer Screening (LBCS) Scale, which measures cultural health beliefs that might influence Latinas' decision to engage in regular BC screening. More specifically, this study tested the LBCS scale to establish its psychometric properties: the instruments validity and reliability. Content validity was assessed by having a research team review the items for relevancy, accuracy and wording of the items. First, a 60-item and an 80-item version of the LBCS was developed and administered to 288 Latinas. Next, principal components analyses and reliabilities aided in reducing the scale to 36 items. This study was successful at identifying six distinct factors, therefore contributing to the scale's construct validity. Lastly, the LBCS scale was tested with 155 participants to establish its psychometric properties: the instrument's validity and reliability. The LBCS displayed strong internal consistency. As expected, the LBCS scale was significantly and positively correlated with the Group-Based Medical Mistrust Scale items (i.e., medical mistrust), the fatalism inventory, and the Cultural Health Attributions Questionnaire thus establishing convergent validity. In addition, as predicted traditional scores on the LBCS were significantly and negatively correlated to BC knowledge, thus establishing discriminant validity. This study suggests that the LBCS is a reliable and valid scale to assess cultural BC health beliefs. This study provides a contribution to the literature on Latinas BC beliefs through the development of an instrument that measures cultural health beliefs and norms that past research studies have alluded to but have not been able to measure. In conclusion, BC prevention efforts should focus on increasing awareness among Latinas and medical healthcare providers about cultural health beliefs (i.e., Feeling Healthy, Feeling Indecent, Feeling Threatened) which play an important role in BC screening behaviors.
dc.format.mediumborn digital
dc.format.mediumdoctoral dissertations
dc.identifierETDF_Gonzalez_2007_3279515.pdf
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10217/237755
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relation.ispartof2000-2019
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.rights.licensePer the terms of a contractual agreement, all use of this item is limited to the non-commercial use of Colorado State University and its authorized users.
dc.subjectbreast cancer
dc.subjectcancer screening
dc.subjectcultural beliefs
dc.subjecthealth beliefs
dc.subjectLatina
dc.subjectsocial psychology
dc.subjectwomen's studies
dc.subjectHispanic American studies
dc.titleThe design, construction, and testing of an instrument to measure Latina's health beliefs about breast cancer and screening
dc.typeText
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplinePsychology
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelDoctoral
thesis.degree.nameDoctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Files

Original bundle
Now showing 1 - 1 of 1
Thumbnail Image
Name:
ETDF_Gonzalez_2007_3279515.pdf
Size:
3.12 MB
Format:
Adobe Portable Document Format
Download

Collections

2000-2019
Theses and Dissertations