Abstract
INTRODUCTION: The examination of the impact of personality on physical health outcomes is valuable in health psychology. Health Orientation Scale (HOS) is a 50-item questionnaire developed to evaluate a persons' health orientation. AIM: To examine the Health Orientation Scale (HOS) psychometric properties in a community Greek-speaking sample in Greece and Cyprus. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted, which lasted three months. Participants were 358 people between 18-73 years old (Mage = 34, SD = 9.35). There were 86 men (24.1%) and 271 women (75.9%). The first step included the translation of the HOS. Next, a composite questionnaire was distributed to the participants, including demographic data, Health Orientation Scale, Health Locus of Control Scale, Life Orientation Test-Revised, Body Appreciation Scale (BAS), and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS v. 25. RESULTS: A three-factor structure similar to that found in the original validation was supported. Except for the "External Health Control" subscale (α=.46), the rest nine subscales of the HOS had good/excellent internal consistency, ranging from .76 to .87. Test-retest reliability of the ten subscales of the HOS was also adequate, ranging from r=.69 to .94. Concerning its construct (convergent and discriminant) validity, many significant correlations were found between the ten subscales of the HOS and Health Locus of Control, Life Orientation Test-Revised, Body Appreciation Scale (BAS), and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). CONCLUSION: The HOS is a valuable instrument to health psychologists and could be used for research and clinical purposes to assess people's health orientation.