Construct Validity and Reliability of College Students’ Responses to the Reasons for Smoking Scale

Abstract

When utilizing self-assessments to determine motives for health behaviors, it is essential that the resulting data demonstrate sound psychometric properties. The purpose of this research was to assess the reliability and construct validity of college students’ responses to the Reasons for Smoking Scale (RFS). Confirmatory factor analyses and internal consistency reliability coefficients were completed. The data of 110 college students who smoke fell short of providing a good fit, χ²(130) = 343.856, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.123, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.793, Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) = 0.756. Reliability coefficients ranged from .615 to .912. Three subscales improved reliability by removing an item. Although the fit indices showed improvement with these modifications, good model fit was still not achieved, χ²(50) = 148.059, RMSEA = 0.134, CFI = 0.872, TLI = 0.831. Although other populations’ responses to the RFS have demonstrated validity and reliability, this college population's did not. Health educators should use caution when interpreting the results of college students’ responses to the RFS because they may be incomplete and/or inaccurate.

Keywords:

• cigarette use
• tobacco use
• survey
• web-based survey
• psychometric properties