Purpose: The purpose of this study was to perform tests of criterion and construct validity for the Body-Mind-Spirit Wellness Behavior Inventory (BMS-WBI), including specificity based on dietary intake and physical activity levels and wellness response trends.
Methods: Three scales - the National Wellness Institute's TestWell Wellness Inventory for college students, the National Institute's of Health Quick Food Scan, and two physical activity construct questions - were administered along with the previously large-scale piloted, 39-item BMS-WBI to assess construct and criterion validity among 141 undergraduate students.
Results: The BMS-WBI body dimension had high, positive correlations with TestWell's physical fitness, nutrition, and self-care and safety subscales. The mind dimension was highly correlated with TestWell's social awareness, emotional awareness and sexuality, emotional management, intellectual wellness, and occupational wellness subscales. The spirit dimension was highly correlated with the TestWell spirit and wellness dimension
The body dimension of the BMS-WBI significantly correlated with the By-Meal screener (r = .258, p< 0.01), indicating the higher the fruit and vegetable intake score, the greater wellness behavior in the body dimension. The body dimension was also significantly correlated with both physical activity construct questions (r = .460, p< 0.01 activity consideration, r = .522, p< 0.01 sweating activity frequency).
Factor split-half reliabilities ranged from 0.73 to 0.84. The alpha coefficients ranged from 0.75 to 0.92. All three dimensions of the BMS-WBI were significantly (p<0.01), positively correlated with each other.
Conclusions: Overall, the BMS-WBI has good reliability and validity, and all three dimensions of the BMS-WBI were each significantly correlated with all appropriate TestWell subscales as a measure of criterion validity. The development of the BMS-WBI resulted in a short, applicable, affordable, and easy-to-administer instrument that can serve as a very useful tool in the assessment of college students' health risk behaviors. The instrument may also help identify and target potential wellness interventions to specific groups of college students throughout the country and possible globally.
Leaner objectives: After viewing this presentation, the participant will be able to: 1. Identify key wellness constructs 2. Name two wellness instruments 3. Describe which BMS-WBI wellness constructs related to given health behaviors 4. Name some possible applications of the BMS-WBI