The Belief in Prevention (BiP) Scale: Its Construction, Validation and Implications for Health Equity

Prevention interventions are increasingly perceived as ways to approach social justice and health equity. Hence, much effort is devoted to convince policy-makers and stack holders in the need to support the implementation of prevention programs. However, a preliminary condition for the success of such interventions is the belief of the target group in the possibility to prevent the given problem (e.g., unexpected pregnancy) and the utility of collaborating with it. Namely, to ensure that members of the target group believe that it is worth trying to prevent the given problem. Based on existing literature on believes regarding the ability to prevent physical damage (e.g., Pediatric Cultural Health Attributions Questionnaire; Vaughn, McLinden, Shellmer, & Baker, 2011), a scale was established to measure persons' Belief in the ability to problem behaviors. The Belief in Prevention (BiP) Scale is composed of 8 case vignettes (e.g., a freshman is socializing with substance abusers in order to adjust to school) that the respondent is asked to rank in terms of the chance/ability (1 – not at all; 6 – definitely yes) of preventing what seems to be as an evolving problem behavior (e.g., prevent the freshman from starting substance abuse as well). Study 1 (N= 958) indicated significant age, gender and cultural differences in BiP (α = .82) among high-school students, their parents and their teachers. Study 2 (N= 157) demonstrated that people (ages 21-50) who have used drugs (on various levels of intensity) hold higher levels of BiP (α = .72), in comparison to those who have never used drugs. Study 3 (N=63) found that students in school of arts and their parents who hold higher levels of BiP (α = .86) perceive school intervention on overcoming learning difficulties as more supportive. Study 4 (N= 77) demonstrated that high-school students and their teachers who hold higher levels of BiP (α = .87) tend to collaborate more with intervention dealing with sexual harassment prevention. Finally, Study 5 (N= 34) gave some support to the notion that low-BiP (α = .79) parents of kindergarten children tend to apply for school readiness check, in comparison to high-BiP parents. Findings of these 5 studies support the notion that variance in BiP might serve as a significant determinant of both the efficacy as well as the effectiveness of prevention interventions. This is especially important once dealing with underrepresented populations, who might feel powerless and helpless.