Development of the postural habits and awareness scale: a reliability and validity study.

Objectives. The aim of this study was to develop a scale that assesses postural awareness and habits, as well as to establish the validity and reliability thereof. Methods . The 19-item postural habits and awareness scale (PHAS) was developed. The scale has a score range of 0-95, with a higher score indicating good posture and awareness. A total of 278 healthy adults with an age range of 18-65 years were included in the study. The sociodemographic form, short form 36 health survey (SF-36) and body awareness questionnaire (BAQ) were used to test the validity and reliability of this newly developed scale. Results . From factor analyses, it was observed that the items clustered into four factors, which explained 55.99% of the variance. Cronbach's α for each factor of the scale varied between 0.619 and 0.832. A high correlation was observed regarding test-retest reliability of the scale ( r  = 0.905). Conclusion. This newly developed self-reported scale allows for the comprehensive determination of both postural habits and awareness together. The PHAS is a valid and reliable scale that can be used by professionals who are interested in posture.