Collective Efficacy: Development and Validation of a Measurement Scale for Use in Public Health and Development Programmes

Maryann G. Delea, Gloria D. Sclar, Mulat Woreta, Regine Haardörfer, Corey L. Nagel, Bethany A. Caruso, Robert Dreibelbis, Abebe G. Gobezayehu, Thomas F. Clasen and Matthew C. Freeman
Additional contact information
Maryann G. Delea: Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
Gloria D. Sclar: Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
Mulat Woreta: Emory Ethiopia, Bahir Dar, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Regine Haardörfer: Department of Behavioral Sciences and Health Education, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
Corey L. Nagel: College of Nursing, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72205, USA
Bethany A. Caruso: Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA
Robert Dreibelbis: Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
Abebe G. Gobezayehu: Emory Ethiopia, Bahir Dar, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Thomas F. Clasen: Department of Disease Control, Faculty of Infectious & Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London WC1E 7HT, UK
Matthew C. Freeman: Department of Environmental Health, Rollins School of Public Health, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30322, USA

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 10, 1-38

Abstract: Impact evaluations of water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions have demonstrated lower than expected health gains, in some cases due to low uptake and sustained adoption of interventions at a community level. These findings represent common challenges for public health and development programmes relying on collective action. One possible explanation may be low collective efficacy (CE)—perceptions regarding a group’s ability to execute actions related to a common goal. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a metric to assess factors related to CE. We conducted this research within a cluster-randomised sanitation and hygiene trial in Amhara, Ethiopia. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were carried out to examine underlying structures of CE for men and women in rural Ethiopia. We produced three CE scales: one each for men and women that allow for examinations of gender-specific mechanisms through which CE operates, and one 26-item CE scale that can be used across genders. All scales demonstrated high construct validity. CE factor scores were significantly higher for men than women, even among household-level male-female dyads. These CE scales will allow implementers to better design and target community-level interventions, and examine the role of CE in the effectiveness of community-based programming.

Keywords: collective efficacy; WASH; behaviour change; gender; behavioural control; collective action; cooperative behaviour; community-based interventions; factor analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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