Measuring Organizational Readiness in a Community Health Promotion Program: Instrument Tailoring and Psychometric Testing

There is a need for tailored, psychometrically sound readiness assessment instruments that reflect the unique characteristics of community-based health promotion settings. We tailored the Readiness Diagnostic Scale (RDS) for use with community organizations using a health-promoting program for older adults (Choose to Move, CTM) as a case study. The 50-item RDS assesses organizational readiness across three domains: Motivation, Innovation-Specific Capacity, and General Capacity. Using a three-stage process we refined item wording for clarity during Stages 1 and 2, resulting in a 51-item prototype. In Stage 3, individuals from community-based organizations (n = 207) completed the prototype survey; data were used to assess psychometric properties of the prototype. Exploratory factor analysis supported a four-factor structure; nine items did not load on any factor and were removed, yielding a 42-item scale (RDS-CTM). Most items from original domains retained their structure; however, a new factor, General Capacity-Staff, emerged, emphasizing the role of staff in organizational readiness. The final model explained 59% of the variance, with strong factor loadings (0.48-0.92) and excellent reliability (α = .91-.95). The RDS-CTM is a practical tool for assessing organizational readiness to implement CTM. It can guide capacity-building efforts, inform resource allocation, and support decision-making around implementation support and program feasibility. Although specific for CTM, the RDS could be adapted for other health promotion programs in community settings, offering a standardized approach to readiness assessment across diverse initiatives. Future research should explore the RDS-CTM's broader applicability and construct validation, using larger samples and confirmatory methods such as structural equation modeling.