[Scales for social support for eating habits and exercise: psychometric properties].

OBJECTIVE: Social support can introduce favorable changes in lifestyle to reduce the cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study was to verify these changes in the clinical population participating in this study and present the psychometric properties of the scales of social support for 'Eating Habits' and 'Exercise' in patients diagnosed with metabolic syndrome. METODOS: Participaron 135 sujetos en un programa de modificacion de estilo de vida. Las medidas sociodemograficas, psicologicas y de estilo de vida fueron tomadas en el Hospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves (HUVN) de Granada (Espana) durante 2013 y 2014. Se realizaron los siguientes analisis: analisis factorial confirmatorio(AFC), de la consistencia interna, de la sensibilidad al cambio y de la estabilidad temporal. RESULTS: The AFC confirmed the original structure of both scales, except for the exclusion of factor 2 (family) from the social support scale for the year. For the social support scale, the local adjustment, all items presented high values of factor loads and individual reliability (λ≥0.64 and R2≥0.41, respectively). For the exercise scale, the local adjustment, the items presented high values of factor loads and individual reliability (λ≥0.62 and R2≥0.38, respectively). Internal consistency values were between adequate and excellent, with Cronbach's alpha figures between 0.714 and 0.864. Regarding sensitivity to change, the experimental group increased the perception of social support for food and exercise. The control group did not show significant differences. CONCLUSIONES: Los resultados muestran niveles adecuados de validez y fiabilidad, demostrando que las escalas son adecuadas para evaluar el apoyo social en pacientes con SM.