Invariance study of an adolescent survey-based smoking-related cognitions scale: examination across Hispanic and Caucasian groups

Background. Large-scale surveys frequently assess tobacco-related cognitions, however, few studies have examined the psychometric properties and cultural invariance of such measures. Methods. The present study examined the factor structure of a dichotomous 8-item tobacco-related beliefs scale administered as part of the state-wide California Tobacco Survey. It was expected that scale factor structure would be invariant across the non-Hispanic white (N = 1960) and English-speaking Mexican-Americans (N = 593), but would differ for Spanish-speaking Mexican-Americans (N = 455). Invariance was also examined across gender within each group. Results. A single factor solution was identified and confirmed within each group. Factorial invariance analyses revealed differences across the three groups as well as across gender among the Mexican-American groups. Conclusions. Findings underscore the importance of examining the psychometric properties of scales employed to assess tobacco-related cognitions across cultural and gender groups.