Reliability and validity of the Tibetan medicine constitution scale: a cross-sectional study of the general population in Beijing, China

• Main Authors: Hui Luo, Ling-Ru Li
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hong Kong Gold Orchid Science and Technology Co., Limited 2021-03-01
• Series: Traditional Medicine Research
• Subjects: tibetan medicine; body constitution; scale evaluation; reliability; validity; cross-sectional study
• Online Access: https://www.tmrjournals.com/article.html?J_num=1&a_id=1184

Background: The constitutional theory is an important aspect of Tibetan medicine, however a quantitative measurement tool for constitution identification still does not exist. The objective of this study is to evaluate the reliability and validity of a Tibetan medicine constitution scale (TMCS) that consists of three sub-scales and 31 items. Methods: From June to July 2019, 622 people from the general population in Beijing, China, aged 18 to 60 were investigated. We employed Cronbach’s alpha (α), split-half reliability, and test-retest reliability to determine the reliability of the scale. The content validity and contract validity of the TMCS were evaluated using factor analysis and correlation analysis based on Tibetan medicine theory. The items were screened according to the reliability test results. Results: After the items were screened, 22 items remained in the scale. The Cronbach’s alpha value for the internal consistency reliability of the TMCS was 0.754 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.700-0.761). The correlation coefficient for the two-week test-retest of the total score was 0.726 (95% CI: 0.571-0.834). The split-half coefficient was 0.689 (95% CI: 0.640-0.734). The scale can be explained by eight potential factors, including morphological structure, physiological function, personality, adaptability, etc. The body mass index was negatively correlated with the score of the sub-rlung scale (r = - 0.376), slightly positively correlated with the sub-mkhris pa scale (r = 0.099), and positively correlated with the sub-bad kan scale (r = 0.362). Conclusion: The TMCS is a reliable and valid instrument that can be used to assess the body constitution of the general population in Beijing, China. Future studies are needed to explore the differences in biological characteristics among the constitutional types and the association between constitution and disease.