Development and Validation of a Veterinary Public Health Competency Scale for Veterinary Students within the One Health Framework

This study aimed to develop and validate a reliable and comprehensive scale to assess veterinary students' competency, encompassing both knowledge and professional attitudes/perceptions regarding One Health components in veterinary public health, including zoonotic diseases, biosecurity, antimicrobial resistance, and the One Health approach. An initial item pool of 97 statements was generated through a literature review and expert consultation. After expert evaluations and pilot testing, the final version of the scale included 56 items. Data were collected from 227 veterinary students enrolled at a single university in Turkey. Psychometric analyses included content validity, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and internal consistency testing. The exploratory factor analysis revealed a five-factor structure-zoonoses, biosecurity and antimicrobial resistance, veterinary public health responsibilities, inter-institutional collaboration, and One Health-explaining 60.3% of the total variance. The confirmatory factor analysis confirmed good model fit (χ²/df = 2.142; root mean square error of approximation = 0.0709; Comparative Fit Index = 0.821) and the scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.954). Most items showed strong item-total correlations and high factor loadings, indicating solid construct validity. The resulting instrument provides a psychometrically sound tool for Turkish veterinary education. However, generalizability is limited to this specific institutional and cultural context. The scale's applicability in diverse global environments requires cross-cultural validation. The scale also contributes to ongoing efforts to align veterinary training with global One Health priorities.