title: Validation of Health Behavior and Stages of Change Questionnaire.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The transtheoretical model (TTM) has been widely used to promote healthy behaviors in different groups. However, a questionnaire has not yet been developed to evaluate the health behaviors that medical practitioners often consider in individuals with cancer or at a high risk of developing cancer.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to construct and validate the Health Behavior and Stages of Change Questionnaire (HBSCQ), which is based on the TTM and health recommendations related to risk and factors that protect against cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Content validity was conducted in two phases (qualitative and quantitative). Item difficulty index, item discrimination index, and discrimination coefficient were obtained based on the classical test theory. Finally, Cronbach's alpha was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Measure of concordance showed scores considered adequate and excellent. The item discrimination index obtained a rating of "excellent" and suggested the preservation of all items. The discrimination coefficient scores are >0.74. The global internal consistency of the HBSCQ was 0.384. HBSCQ specification between groups of internal consistency for the sample of men was 0.712 and that for the sample of women was 0.378.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The HBSCQ represents a proposal for a fast, simple, and innovative screening test, which aims to identify persons who may benefit from interventions to promote health behaviors delimited to the stage of change.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University Centre of Tonala, University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara; Department of Psychology, Division of Health Sciences, Campus Leon, University of Guanajuato, Guanajuato.
authors.forename: Leivy Patricia
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Ramirez
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Division of Health Sciences, Campus Leon, University of Guanajuato, Guanajuato.
authors.forename: Jose Maria
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: De la Roca-Chiapas
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, University Centre for Health Sciences, University of Guadalajara; Paediatric Hospital, Western National Medical Centre, Mexican Social Security Institute.
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Colunga-Rodriguez
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, University Centre for Health Sciences, University of Guadalajara.
authors.forename: Maria de Lourdes
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Preciado-Serrano
authors.affiliation: Departament of Physiology, University Centre for Health Sciences, University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Daneri-Navarro
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Autonomous University of Aguascalientes, Aguascalientes, Mexico.
authors.forename: Francisco Javier
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Pedroza-Cabrera
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Sciences, University Centre of Tonala, University of Guadalajara, Guadalajara.
authors.forename: Reyna Jazmin
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Martinez-Arriaga
keywords: health promotion; lifestyle; screening tests; transtheoretical model