The Reliability and Validity of a Wellness Inventory

Health was once defined as the absence of disease. The notion of health changed in 1947, when the World Health Organization defined health as a state of physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity? Further expansion of the definition of health has led to today’s use of the term wellness. Wellness is the process by which one responsibly identifies areas of life in need of improvement and subsequently makes choices conducive to a more satisfying life style. TestWell, Wellness Inventory reportedly measures the extent to which lifestyle behaviors reflect potential risks and hazards. 2 However, evidence that TestWell was developed according to a research methodology or statistical test does not exist. The absence of a delphi panel, factor analysis, norm reference, or field test warrants investigations into TestWell’s utility among a variety of populations. Jones and Frazier -~ tested the hypothesis that wellness professionals possess high levels of both wellness and selfesteem. Total serf-esteem scores correlated with total TestWell scores (r = .59; p < .05). Jones and Frazier calculated a Cronbach coefficient alpha of .84 for TestWell. Owen4 sought to investigate the extent to which TestWell is a reliable and valid instrument for use with high school students. Owen calculated a Cronbach coefficient alpha of .90 for TestWell. Coefficient alphas of .67 or above were calculated for 9 of 10 subscales. Correlation coefficients between TestWell’s 10 subscales and the total TestWell score ranged from .42 to .74. All were statistically significant. The purpose of this study was to identify the extent to which TestWell is a reliable and valid instrument for use