Reliability and validity of the Toileting Behaviors-Women's Elimination Behaviors scale in a Turkish pregnant population.

Introduction And Hypothesis: Toileting behaviors are related to lower urinary tract symptoms and bladder dysfunction and are an important factor affecting bladder health. The aim of this study was to translate the Toileting Behaviors-Women's Elimination Behaviors (TB-WEB) Scale into Turkish and to validate its internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and construct and criterion validity for use in Turkish pregnant women.

Method: The research was conducted with 226 pregnant women who presented to the antenatal outpatient clinics of a university hospital in Türkiye for antenatal follow-up. Data were collected using a sociodemographic questionnaire prepared by the researchers and the TB-WEB Scale. Descriptive data were analyzed using numbers, percentage and mean values, whereas psychometric analysis of the scale was performed using semantic equivalence, content validity, explanatory and confirmatory factor analysis, Cronbach's α, item-total correlation, and test-retest analysis.

Results: The scale consisted of 20 items and five subscales. The content validity index of the items was found to be 93%. Cronbach's α coefficient was found to be 0.77 for the whole scale; 0.60 for the place preference for voiding subscale; 0.73 for the premature voiding subscale; 0.84 for the delayed voiding subscale; 0.83 for the straining voiding subscale; and 0.88 for the position preference for voiding subscale. The scale mediates 62% of the total variance. Confirmatory factor analysis found that item factor loadings varied between 0.31 and 0.99 and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) value was found 0.078.

Conclusion: The Turkish version of the TB-WEB Scale is a valid and reliable instrument in evaluating women's toileting behaviors during pregnancy.