Pilot Test for Reliability and Validity of a New Assessment Tool Measuring Relationships between Individual Health and Environmental Sustainability

Abstract

This study surrounds the creation of a comprehensive assessment tool designed to measure the relationships between individual health and environmental sustainability. The existing literature surrounding health and sustainability shows there is currently no assessment tool of this kind available. A self-reporting survey comprised of 103 questions divided among ten categories was created based on the existing literature. The five categories for health include: Mental Health, Physical Health, Physical Functioning, Eating Habit, and Stress/Relaxation. The five categories of sustainability are: Recycling, Energy Consumption, Greenhouse gas (GHG) Emissions, Water Usage, and Connection with Nature. The survey was tested for several reliability and validity measures. Participants (N=60) were students from Dalhousie University. Results of the pilot test show the tool to be reliable and valid in many of the psychometric categories. Recommendations to improve reliability, validity, and to create a more usable tool are included.