[Development and validation of a self-management skill scale].

OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study were: 1) to develop a scale for self-reported assessment of self-management skills (SMS), and to confirm its reliability and validity; 2) to verify its applicability to health services including health education by analyzing the relationship between the SMS score and behavioral changes among smoking cessation campaign participants. METHODS: A 20-item preliminary SMS scale was developed based on the previous findings of Rosenbaum's self-control schedule, social skills and life skills. A 10-item final SMS scale was developed by testing internal consistency and test-retest reliability among 55 subjects who were second to fourth-year college students (mean age: 20.9) in 1997. A questionnaire, including the SMS scale, self-efficacy for quitting smoking, and smoking cessation behavior was administered to 501 smokers (mean age: 46.3) who participated in the smoking cessation campaign that began in December 1997 and ended in June 1998. RESULTS: Among the participants of the smoking cessation campaign, the SMS scale showed a high level of internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.75) and positive correlations with age and self-efficacy for quitting smoking. The SMS scale also showed positive correlations with the outcome of the program, which means that those who had low SMS tended to drop out. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that the SMS scale has acceptable levels of reliability and validity. They also suggest that it might be a useful instrument in health education and health services because the score correlates with people's health behavior.