HLTH 6038 Week 7 Construct Measurement Plan Example

Course	HLTH 6038 Health Behavior Theory
Week	Week 7
Paper type	Measurement plan
Length	About 1,020 words, 6 pages
Format	APA 7 student paper
School	Walden University
Program	MS in Health Education and Promotion
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for HLTH 6038 Week 7

Turning the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model Into a Survey: Measuring Completion of the Two-Dose MenB Series at a Campus Health Service, Construct by Construct, With Existing Items Separated From Items That Must Be Built

Student Name

Walden University

HLTH 6038: Health Behavior Theory

Instructor Name

Month Day, Year

What this page is doingThe title names the model, the behavior and the setting, and promises a decision for every construct about whether items exist or must be written, which is how a measurement plan is graded.

The Behavior and the Model

The behavior is completion of the serogroup B meningococcal (MenB) vaccine series: students at a composite university who receive a first dose of the two-dose MenB-4C vaccine at the campus health service during fall orientation return for the second dose at least one month later and before the end of the semester. Federal recommendations allow MenB vaccination for adolescents and young adults aged 16 to 23 on the basis of shared clinical decision-making, and the two MenB vaccine products have different dosing schedules (Mbaeyi et al., 2020). For the product used here, the second dose can be given one month after the first, which fits within a semester.

The campus health service reports that most students who start the series at orientation do not return for the second dose. The plan below measures why, using the information-motivation-behavioral skills (IMB) model.

The model proposes that information relevant to a behavior, motivation to perform it and the behavioral skills needed to carry it out are the fundamental determinants of the behavior, and that information and motivation work largely through behavioral skills to affect it (Fisher & Fisher, 1992; Fisher et al., 2006). The plan keeps that structure: information and motivation are measured as constructs in their own right, and behavioral skills are measured as the pathway between them and the second dose.

What this page is doingThe behavior is defined with its product, interval and deadline, because the model's information construct depends on exactly what students need to know.

Construct 1: Information

In this behavior, information means accurate knowledge of the schedule and of why the second dose matters: that the series requires two doses, that the second is due at least one month after the first, that one dose does not provide the protection the series is designed to give, and where and when the campus health service gives the second dose.

Candidate items: four true-or-false statements, for example "One dose of the MenB vaccine is enough to complete the series," and one open item, "When is your second dose due?" scored against the student's record.

Response format: true, false or don't know, scored correct or incorrect, with don't know scored as incorrect.

Existing scale: none found for MenB schedule knowledge. These items must be built and checked with a small group of students before use.

Construct 2: Motivation

The model divides motivation into personal and social components (Fisher et al., 2006). Personal motivation is the student's attitude toward getting the second dose; social motivation is the student's perception of whether important others, such as parents, roommates or teammates, support it.

Candidate items, personal: "For me, getting my second MenB dose this semester would be: harmful to beneficial; not worth it to worth it," on seven-point semantic differential scales. These follow standard reasoned action attitude formats.

Candidate items, social: "Most people who are important to me think I should get my second MenB dose this semester," rated from strongly disagree to strongly agree, with a second item naming parents specifically.

Existing scale: general vaccine attitudes have been measured with validated instruments. The Vaccine Hesitancy Scale, for example, showed a two-factor structure of lack of confidence and risks in a large national sample of Canadian parents (Shapiro et al., 2018). It measures general hesitancy among parents, not a student's attitude toward a specific second dose, so it can be used as a secondary measure of general confidence but not as the motivation measure itself.

Construct 3: Behavioral Skills

Behavioral skills are the student's objective ability and perceived confidence to carry out the steps the behavior requires. Here the key skill is arranging the second appointment: knowing how to book it online or by phone, fitting it between classes and remembering it.

Candidate items: "How sure are you that you could book your second MenB appointment through the student health portal?" and "How sure are you that you could fit a 15-minute appointment into your class schedule before Thanksgiving?" rated from not at all sure to completely sure.

A performance item would strengthen the measure: during the survey, students are asked to find the booking page on their phone and report whether they reached it.

Existing scale: no validated scale for this skill was found; items must be built, adapting the confidence format used in self-efficacy measurement.

Construct 4: The Behavior

The behavior is measured from the campus health service's immunization records, not by self-report: whether a second dose is recorded at least one month after the first and before the semester ends. Record data avoid recall error and allow the survey to be given at the first dose and linked to the outcome.

The Plan in One Table

Table 1

Measurement Plan for Completion of the MenB Series

Construct	Operational definition	Item type	Existing scale? \|
Information	Knowledge of doses, interval, reason and location	True, false or don't know items	No; build and pretest \|
Personal motivation	Attitude toward the second dose this semester	Semantic differential	Formats exist; items specific to MenB built \|
Social motivation	Perceived support from important others	Agreement scale	Formats exist; items built \|
Behavioral skills	Confidence and ability to book and attend	Confidence scale plus one performance task	No; build and pretest \|
Behavior	Second dose recorded on time	Immunization record	Not applicable \|

The survey is given at the first dose; the behavior is taken from records at semester end.

Decisions and Their Reasons

Three decisions shape the plan. First, motivation is split into personal and social components because the model requires it, not because the survey has room. Second, behavioral skills include one performance item, since the model's skills construct is about ability as well as confidence. Third, the outcome comes from records, so the plan tests whether information and motivation predict behavior through skills, as the model proposes, rather than whether they predict what students say they did.

Limits

Several items are new and need pretesting with students for clarity and with a small pilot for reliability. The plan measures determinants at one time point, while motivation may change over the month between doses.

References

Fisher, J. D., & Fisher, W. A. (1992). Changing AIDS-risk behavior. Psychological Bulletin, 111(3), 455-474. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.111.3.455

Fisher, J. D., Fisher, W. A., Amico, K. R., & Harman, J. J. (2006). An information-motivation-behavioral skills model of adherence to antiretroviral therapy. Health Psychology, 25(4), 462-473. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-6133.25.4.462

Mbaeyi, S. A., Bozio, C. H., Duffy, J., Rubin, L. G., Hariri, S., Stephens, D. S., & MacNeil, J. R. (2020). Meningococcal vaccination: Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, United States, 2020. MMWR Recommendations and Reports, 69(9), 1-41. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.rr6909a1

Shapiro, G. K., Tatar, O., Dube, E., Amsel, R., Knauper, B., Naz, A., Perez, S., & Rosberger, Z. (2018). The vaccine hesitancy scale: Psychometric properties and validation. Vaccine, 36(5), 660-667. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2017.12.043

What the HLTH 6038 Week 7 instructions ask for

In Week 7 the assignment usually asks students to plan how each construct of a chosen model would be measured for a specific behavior. The prompt expects the behavior and model named first, then each construct treated in turn: an operational definition, candidate items, a response format and a note on whether a validated scale already exists. Where no scale exists, students should say so and describe how items would be built and tested. Instructors look for fidelity to the model's structure, such as splitting motivation into components when the model requires it. Many prompts also ask how the behavior itself will be measured, with preference for objective records over self-report where possible. A summary table is common. Sources include the model's foundational papers, relevant guidelines and validated instruments. Listing instruments without checking that they measure the specific construct for the specific behavior is a frequent weakness.

How this HLTH 6038 Week 7 example is built

The plan defines the behavior with the vaccine product, interval and deadline and states the model's structure. Information is defined as knowledge of doses, interval, reason and location, with true-false items and a note that none exist for this schedule. Motivation is split into personal attitude, using semantic differential items, and social support, using agreement items, with the Vaccine Hesitancy Scale assessed and kept only as a general confidence measure. Behavioral skills are defined as booking and attending, with confidence items and a performance task of finding the booking page. The behavior is measured from records rather than self-report. The plan is condensed into a five-row table. A section explains three decisions: the motivation split, the performance item and the record-based outcome. Limits note the need for pretesting and the single time point.

HLTH 6038 Week 7 rubric: what earns full marks

Measurement plans are generally graded on operational definitions, item quality, fidelity to the model, honesty about existing scales and the outcome measure. Operational definitions score when they fit this behavior in this setting. Items should fit the construct and use appropriate response formats. Fidelity is judged on whether the model's structure, such as the components of motivation, is preserved in measurement. Honesty about whether validated scales exist, and about the limits of borrowing a scale built for another purpose, is often weighted heavily. The outcome measure earns credit when it is objective and linked to the determinants' timing. A summary table aids review. APA formatting is checked on an MMWR report, a health psychology article and a vaccine journal article.

Common HLTH 6038 Week 7 mistakes, and how to avoid them

Measurement plans most often go wrong by naming a famous scale for each construct without checking that it measures that construct for that behavior. Another common problem is collapsing parts of the model, such as treating motivation as one score when the model splits it. Students also measure the behavior by self-report when records exist. Before submitting, write an operational definition for each construct tied to your behavior. Draft two or three items per construct with a response format. Say whether a validated scale exists and whether it truly fits. Explain how new items will be pretested. Measure the behavior objectively if you can. Summarize in a table. A custom plan could instead operationalize the Health Belief Model for cancer screening or Social Cognitive Theory for physical activity.

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HLTH 6038 Week 7 questions, answered

Where can I find a free HLTH 6038 Week 7 sample paper?

A complete Week 7 plan for measuring the information-motivation-behavioral skills model on second-dose MenB vaccination, with a summary table and four references, is available here.

What behavior does the HLTH 6038 Week 7 example measure?

Students returning for the second dose of the two-dose MenB-4C vaccine at least one month after the first, before the semester ends, at a campus health service.

How is motivation measured in the IMB model?

Split into personal motivation, the student's attitude toward the second dose, and social motivation, perceived support from important others, as the model requires.

Does a validated scale exist for every construct?

No. Schedule knowledge and booking skills need new items; the Vaccine Hesitancy Scale measures general confidence among parents and serves only as a secondary measure.

Why use immunization records for the outcome?

Records avoid recall error and let the survey, given at the first dose, be linked to whether the second dose actually happened on time.