Validating the Wellness Promotion Competency Model: an Exploratory Factor Analysis

Wellness promotion practices continue to evolve and uniquely contribute to helping individuals and communities realize their full potential. Although competencies for wellness promotion exist, little evidence is available to support their construct validity or measurement properties. This study examined validity using an exploratory factor analysis of a wellness practitioner self-efficacy survey (n = 606) conducted in the United States. Results support a five-factor model with good internal consistency. Follow-up analysis points to a significant positive correlation between wellness promotion self-efficacy and years of experience in the field. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) results also point to differences in wellness promotion self-efficacy among respondents who categorized themselves as seeking entry-, intermediate-, or advanced-level continuing education. These findings provide evidence to support the construct validity of a wellness promotion competency model. Implications for wellness promotion curriculum development, credentialing, and research are discussed.