Development of the Perceptions About Infectious Diseases Scale

Background and Purpose: When there is an infectious diseases, health behaviors demonstrated by individuals could have positive or negative effects on the spread of infectious diseases. Individuals’ knowledge, beliefs, perceptions, emotions, attitudes, and behaviors about disease are formed according to their past and future experiences. Individuals’ perceptions are considered to be important in terms of identifying their health behaviors. The purpose of the present study is to develop a measurement tool that identifies perceptions about infectious diseases. Methods: This study adopted a methodological design. It was conducted with the volunteer participation of 1,786 people who consisted of the staff and students of the university between June and September 2020. Results: The scale was found to consist of 34 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale and two factors. Cronbach’s alpha value was found .98 for the scale. The correlation values showing the correlation of the items with the total scale score were found to be between .615 and .920. Conclusion: The scale that was developed in the present study was found to be a reliable and valid measurement tool.