ADAPTATION AND PSYCHOMETRIC EVALUATION OF THE TURKISH VERSION OF THE MATCH SCALE: ASSESSING MOTIVATION AND ATTITUDES TOWARD CHANGING HEALTH BEHAVIOR IN OLDER ADULTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES

Introduction: This study aimed to adapt the Motivation and Attitudes Toward Changing Health Scale into Turkish and to evaluate its validity and reliability in older adults with type 2 diabetes. Materials and Method: This research was designed as a psychometric study. A total of 135 individuals aged 65 years and older with type 2 diabetes participated in the study. The scale was evaluated through various validity and reliability analyses. The language validity of the scale was confirmed through translation, back-translation, expert evaluation, and pre-application. Reliability and validity assessments included item analysis, criterion validity for construct validity, confirmatory factor analysis, and test-retest reliability. Results: The content validity index was calculated at 0.91 based on expert evaluations. The three-factor structure of the scale explained 72% of the total variance. The statistical indicators used to evaluate the model fit showed that the model had an acceptable level of fit with the data. Specifically, the root mean square error of approximation was 0.11, the goodness of fit index was 0.90, the adjusted goodness of fit index was 0.82, the comparative fit index was 0.94, and the chi-square value was 66.18. These results were statistically significant (p < 0.001). The test-retest reliability result was statistically significant (r:0.98, p<0.001), indicating high reliability, with a Cronbach’s alpha value of 0.85. Conclusion: The scale is valid and reliable, making it an effective tool for measuring the motivation and attitudes of older adults with diabetes toward changing their health related behaviors. Keywords: Motivation; Attitude; Health; Psychometrics; Aged.