Hungarian adaptation of the Good Health Practices Scale in a large-sample representative study

Background

Lifestyle is one of the most important determinants of health. The Good Health Practices Scale (GHPS) is a comprehensive questionnaire assessing health behavior (nutrition, physical activity, sleep, substance use, preventive health) as a complex construct. The aim of our study was to adapt the GHPS in a Hungarian representative sample, test the internal consistency of the scales, and explore the health behavior of the general Hungarian population.

Methods

Data were used from the online HEalthy LOngevity (HELO) survey conducted in 2024 on a representative sample of the Hungarian population (≥21 years). The GHPS consists of 16 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale; mean scores are calculated, with higher values indicating better health behavior. In the HELO survey, the scale was supplemented with an additional item assessing the use of wearable health monitoring devices. Adaptation followed the TRAPD (Translation, Review, Adjudication, Pretesting, and Documentation) method. Internal consistency of the original and 17-item scales, and the distribution (mean and standard deviation) of the obtained scores, was examined.

Results

The sample consisted of 1005 participants (age: 46.3±15.3 years; women: 52.3%; higher education: 44.6%; secondary education: 51.1%). The internal consistency of the 17-item scale was excellent (Cronbach’s α: 0.87; McDonald’s ω: 0.87) and was nearly identical to that of the original 16-item version. The mean global score of the sample was 2.77±0.73. Among the items, tooth brushing showed the highest mean score (4.03±1.24), while dental flossing had the lowest (1.85±1.23).

Conclusions

This first large-scale Hungarian study suggests that both the original and the 17-item GHPS demonstrate adequate reliability, making it suitable for assessing health behavior in the Hungarian population and for use in international comparative research such as HELO.

Key messages

• The Hungarian GHPS shows adequate reliability, supporting its use to characterize population-level health behavior.

• The modified 17-item GHPS enables up-to-date measurement of health behavior in Hungary and supports international comparative research.