Effectiveness of Disease Detection

What it measures

A three-item scale measuring a consumer's belief in the effectiveness of a health product or service in detecting a specific disease or medical condition. Items assess general effectiveness, functional performance, and perceived health impact (reduced mortality risk) of the detection method. Designed for health communication and pharmaceutical marketing research, the scale captures the efficacy belief component of health product attitudes — the degree to which consumers are convinced the product does what it claims in a clinical sense.

Response format

Likert (format not specified)

Scale items

• This [product] is effective in detecting [disease].
• This [product] works in detecting [disease].
• People who use this [product] are less likely to die of [disease].

Full scale items shown. Always cite the original source when using this scale in research.

Usage notes & scoring

FILL-IN-THE-BLANK FORMAT: The first blank in each item should identify the focal health product or service (e.g., 'treatment', 'lotion', 'screening test'); the second blank should name the specific disease or condition (e.g., 'skin cancer', 'diabetes'). Single reliability estimate: α = .83 — Cox, Cox & Mantel (2010). VALIDITY: Factor analysis confirmed items loaded on a single factor. NOTE: Response format not specified; researchers should select and report an appropriate scale. Originally labelled 'belief about product efficacy' by the authors.

Citation

Cox, Anthony D., Dena Cox, and Susan Powell Mantel (2010). Consumer response to drug risk information: The role of positive affect. Journal of Marketing, 74(4), 31–44.

Keywords