Validity and reliability of the Japanese version of the European Heart Failure Self-Care Behavior Scale

Background: It is important to assess the self-care behavior of patients with heart failure. However, in Japan, there is no valid and reliable scale for this purpose. The European Heart Failure Self-Care Behavior Scale (EHFScBS) is used to measure the self-care behavior of heart failure patients. The purpose of this study was to translate the EHFScBS into Japanese and evaluate its validity and reliability. Methods and results: A convenience sample of 116 outpatients with heart failure completed the Japanese version of the EHFScBS. Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated the one-dimensionality of the scale. The Japanese version of the EHFScBS was significantly correlated with another scale, which was considered to evaluate the concept linked with the self-care behavior theoretically. These confirm its construct validity. Cronbach's alpha was 0.71, suggesting that internal consistency was satisfactory. Test-retest reliability was evaluated. The intraclass correlation coefficient of the scale was 0.69 and weighted kappa for individual items was 0.33-0.87, suggesting that test-retest reliability is adequate. Conclusions: The Japanese version of the EHFScBS was showed acceptable validity and reliability. It can be used to evaluate self-care behavior of Japanese patients with heart failure. (C) 2007 European Society of Cardiology. Published by Elsevier B.V All rights reserved.