Development and validation of the Health-Friendly Activity Index: an assessment tool to comprehensively measure health-friendly activities of corporations or organisations

Abstract

Objectives We developed the Health-Friendly Activity Index (HFAI) to comprehensively measure the health-friendly activities of corporations or organisations. We validated the developed tool and reported on its use as an assessment tool to improve consumers' health-related outcomes. Design This was a cross-sectional study. Setting Development of the HFAI questionnaire followed a three-phase process: item generation, item construction and validation with field testing. Using relevance and feasibility criteria, we developed a 105-item questionnaire with six domains (Governance and Infrastructure, Needs Assessment, Planning, Implementation, Monitoring and Feedback, and Outcomes). Participants To assess the sensitivity and validity of the questionnaire, the HFAI and Contribution Assessment Tool for Consumer's Health (CATCH) were administered to 302 participants (151 employers and 151 employees) from 151 Korean companies. Primary outcome measures The CATCH measured the contribution of each company to the physical, mental, social and spiritual health of its consumers. To estimate the reliability and validity of all six HFAI domains and their respective scales, Cronbach's alpha coefficients and correlation coefficients were used. Results Each domain and scale of the HFAI exhibited a Cronbach's alpha coefficient between 0.80 and 0.98 for the employers and employees. The overall HFAI and its six domains correlated significantly and positively with all health outcomes such as physical, mental, social and spiritual status scores evaluated using the CATCH (Spearman's correlation range: 0.37-0.68). Conclusion The HFAI, a unique assessment tool with acceptable psychometric properties, can help corporate managers assess their health-friendly activities.