VALIDATION OF THE HEALTHY LIFESTYLE (EVS) QUESTIONNAIRE IN A SPANISH POPULATION

RESUMO

Marta Leyton, Susana Lobato, Marco Batista, M�ª Isabel Aspano y Ruth Jim�©nez

In order to evaluate the lifestyle of the people, it is important to develop a questionnaire which can apply to any type of population. The main goal was to adapt and to validate the Healthy Lifestyles (EVS) questionnaire to the Spanish context and, afterwards, to provide the questionnaire with concurrent validity through a correlation analysis between the variables of the levels of self-determined motivation and physical activity. The sample of the study was composed by 812 persons with ages between 14 and 88 years (29.5±21.7). Five items evaluated each one of the factors related with an EVS: smoking, resting habits, eating schedules and maintaining balanced eating habits. The overall results of the model indicated an optimal adjustment, as well as a good concurrent validity. This study provided a valid and reliable scale to evaluate the healthy lifestyle of the Spanish population. The application of this scale is considered to be extremely useful in a variety of settings, such as schools and sports centres. Once it is implemented, it guides people towards a healthy lifestyle.