Health Perception: Validation of a Scale for the Portuguese Population.

Abstract

The validity of health perception construct has increased over time; people assess better their health status due to an increased level of education. Different instruments have been developed to assess this dimension of health. This study aims to validate for the Portuguese adult population of the Health Perception Questionnaire due to the inexistence in the Portuguese context of a validated instrument that assess health perception. It is a self-report instrument that evaluates health perception in three moments-past, present and future, resistance and attitudes towards the disease.1,139 subjects from the general population, aged between 18 and 79 years and mostly women, participated. Exploratory and confirmatory factorial analyzes were carried out. A second order model was found, where health perception is defined around two factors-current health (seven items) and previous health (two items). The experience of serious or significant illness, as well as well-being and health, are assumed as key elements in the individual construction of the previous and current health perception respectively.