Sample records for questionnaire contained items

  1. Database of Standardized Questionnaires About Walking & Bicycling

    Cancer.gov

    This database contains questionnaire items and a list of validation studies for standardized items related to walking and biking. The items come from multiple national and international physical activity questionnaires.

  2. Compendium of highway safety questionnaire items

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1980-09-29

    This survey compendium contains questionnaire items and results (when furnished) that were used in state and national surveys during the period 1976 to 1980. The compendium is organized by safety issues into item groups that reflect drivers' attitude...

  3. Development and psychometric testing of the Canine Owner-Reported Quality of Life questionnaire, an instrument designed to measure quality of life in dogs with cancer.

    PubMed

    Giuffrida, Michelle A; Brown, Dorothy Cimino; Ellenberg, Susan S; Farrar, John T

    2018-05-01

    OBJECTIVE To describe development and initial psychometric testing of an owner-reported questionnaire designed to standardize measurement of general quality of life (QOL) in dogs with cancer. DESIGN Key-informant interviews, questionnaire development, and field trial. SAMPLE Owners of 25 dogs with cancer for item development and pretesting and owners of 90 dogs with cancer for reliability and validity testing. PROCEDURES Standard methods for development and testing of questionnaire instruments intended to measure subjective states were used. Items were generated, selected, scaled, and pretested for content, meaning, and readability. Response items were evaluated with exploratory factor analysis and by assessing internal consistency (Cronbach α) and convergence with global QOL as determined with a visual analog scale. Preliminary tests of stability and responsiveness were performed. RESULTS The final questionnaire-which was named the Canine Owner-Reported Quality of Life (CORQ) questionnaire-contained 17 items related to observable behaviors commonly used by owners to evaluate QOL in their dogs. Several items pertaining to physical symptoms performed poorly and were omitted. The 17 items were assigned to 4 factors-vitality, companionship, pain, and mobility-on the basis of the items they contained. The CORQ questionnaire and its factors had high internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.68 to 0.90) and moderate to strong correlations (r = 0.49 to 0.71) with global QOL as measured on a visual analog scale. Preliminary testing indicated good test-retest reliability and responsiveness to improvements in overall QOL. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE The CORQ questionnaire was a valid, reliable owner-reported questionnaire that measured general QOL in dogs with cancer and showed promise as a clinical trial outcome measure for quantifying changes in individual dog QOL occurring in response to cancer treatment and progression.

  4. Differences in quality-of-life dimensions of Adult Strabismus Quality of Life and Amblyopia & Strabismus Questionnaires.

    PubMed

    van de Graaf, Elizabeth S; Borsboom, Gerard J J M; van der Sterre, Geertje W; Felius, Joost; Simonsz, Huibert J; Kelderman, Henk

    2017-09-01

    The Adult Strabismus Quality of Life Questionnaire (AS-20) and the Amblyopia & Strabismus Questionnaire (A&SQ) both measure health-related quality of life in strabismus patients. We evaluated to what extent these instruments cover similar domains by identifying the underlying quality-of-life factors of the combined questionnaires. Participants were adults from a historic cohort with available orthoptic childhood data documenting strabismus and/or amblyopia. They had previously completed the A&SQ and were now asked to complete the AS-20. Factor analysis was performed on the correlation-matrix of the combined AS-20 and A&SQ data to identify common underlying factors. The identified factors were correlated with the clinical variables of angle of strabismus, degree of binocular vision, and visual acuity of the worse eye. One hundred ten patients completed both questionnaires (mean age, 44 years; range, 38-51 years). Six factors were found that together explained 78% of the total variance. The factor structure was dominated by the first four factors. One factor contained psychosocial and social-contact items, and another factor depth-perception items from both questionnaires. A third factor contained seven items-only from the AS-20-on eye strain, stress, and difficulties with reading and with concentrating. A fourth factor contained seven items-only from the A&SQ-on fear of losing the better eye and visual disorientation, specific for amblyopia. Current visual acuity of the worse eye correlated with depth-perception items and vision-related items, whereas current binocular vision correlated with psychosocial and social-contact items, in 93 patients. Factor analysis suggests that the AS-20 and A&SQ measure a similar psychosocial quality-of-life domain. However, functional problems like avoidance of reading, difficulty in concentrating, eye stress, reading problems, inability to enjoy hobbies, and need for frequent breaks when reading are represented only in the AS-20. During the development of the A&SQ, asthenopia items were considered insufficiently specific for strabismus and were excluded a priori. The patients who generated the items for the AS-20 had, in majority, adulthood-onset strabismus and diplopia and were, hence, more likely to develop such complaints than our adult patients with childhood-onset strabismus and/or amblyopia.

  5. Comparison of the functional rating index and the 18-item Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire: responsiveness and reliability.

    PubMed

    Chansirinukor, Wunpen; Maher, Christopher G; Latimer, Jane; Hush, Julia

    2005-01-01

    Retrospective design. To compare the responsiveness and test-retest reliability of the Functional Rating Index and the 18-item version of the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire in detecting change in disability in patients with work-related low back pain. Many low back pain-specific disability questionnaires are available, including the Functional Rating Index and the 18-item version of the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire. No previous study has compared the responsiveness and reliability of these questionnaires. Files of patients who had been treated for work-related low back pain at a physical therapy clinic were reviewed, and those containing initial and follow-up Functional Rating Index and 18-item Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaires were selected. The responsiveness of both questionnaires was compared using two different methods. First, using the assumption that patients receiving treatment improve over time, various responsiveness coefficients were calculated. Second, using change in work status as an external criterion to identify improved and nonimproved patients, Spearman's rho and receiver operating characteristic curves were calculated. Reliability was estimated from the subset of patients who reported no change in their condition over this period and expressed with the intraclass correlation coefficient and the minimal detectable change. One hundred and forty-three patient files were retrieved. The responsiveness coefficients for the Functional Rating Index were greater than for the 18-item Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire. The intraclass correlation coefficient values for both questionnaires calculated from 96 patient files were similar, but the minimal detectable change for the Functional Rating Index was less than for the 18-item Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire. The Functional Rating Index seems preferable to the 18-item Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire for use in clinical trials and clinical practice.

  6. Measuring emotion socialization in families affected by pediatric cancer: Refinement and reduction of the Parents' Beliefs about Children's Emotions questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Beitra, Danette; El-Behadli, Ana F; Faith, Melissa A

    2018-01-01

    The aim of this study is to conduct a multimethod psychometric reduction in the Parents' Beliefs about Children's Emotions (PBCE) questionnaire using an item response theory framework with a pediatric oncology sample. Participants were 216 pediatric oncology caregivers who completed the PBCE. The PBCE contains 105 items (11 subscales) rated on a 6-point Likert-type scale. We evaluated the PBCE subscale performance by applying a partial credit model in WINSTEPS. Sixty-six statistically weak items were removed, creating a 44-item PBCE questionnaire with 10 subscales and 3 response options per item. The refined scale displayed good psychometric properties and correlated .910 with the original PBCE. Additional analyses examined dimensionality, item-level (e.g. difficulty), and person-level (e.g. ethnicity) characteristics. The refined PBCE questionnaire provides better test information, improves instrument reliability, and reduces burden on families, providers, and researchers. With this improved measure, providers can more easily identify families who may benefit from psychosocial interventions targeting emotion socialization. The results of the multistep approach presented should be considered preliminary, given the limited sample size.

  7. National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972: Critical Data Base. 22U-884.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Talbert, Robin

    The National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 (NLS) critical data base contains 151 items (plus background information) from the base year and followup questionnaires; about thirty-seven percent of all items. This set of critical items consists of: (1) basic demographic variables; (2) items necessary for defining activity states…

  8. A new questionnaire to assess endorsement of normative ethics in primary health care: development, reliability and validity study.

    PubMed

    González-de Paz, Luis; Devant-Altimir, Meritxell; Kostov, Belchin; Mitjavila-López, Joan; Navarro-Rubio, M Dolors; Sisó-Almirall, Antoni

    2013-12-01

    Assessing ethical endorsement is crucial to the study of professional performance and moral conduct. There are no specific instruments that verify patients and professional experiences of ethical practice in the specific area of primary health care (PHC). To study the psychometric properties of two questionnaires to identify professional and patient endorsement of normative ethics. A methodological study conducted in PHC centres from an urban area (Barcelona). A group of items from an ethical code were generated using a qualitative study with focus groups. Items underwent expert validation, item refinement and test-retest reliability. Two groups of items for PHC professionals and patients were validated. The structure of the constructs and the internal consistency were studied after participants completed the questionnaires. Principal component analysis with supplementary variables showed the utility of the validated questionnaires. The patients' questionnaire consisted of 17 general items plus 11 additional items on specific conditions, and the health professional's contained 24 general and 9 specific items. The construct of the questionnaires comprised a three-factor solution for patients and a five-factor solution for professionals. Principal component analysis with supplementary variables showed that patients with higher scores on ethical perception were associated with better opinions on health care quality and more confidence in professionals. In PHC professionals, higher scores were associated with effective knowledge of the code. Both questionnaires showed good psychometric properties and are valid to screen ethical attitudes. The instrument warrants further testing and use with culturally diverse patients and PHC professionals.

  9. Development and validation of a nutrition knowledge questionnaire for a Canadian population.

    PubMed

    Bradette-Laplante, Maude; Carbonneau, Élise; Provencher, Véronique; Bégin, Catherine; Robitaille, Julie; Desroches, Sophie; Vohl, Marie-Claude; Corneau, Louise; Lemieux, Simone

    2017-05-01

    The present study aimed to develop and validate a nutrition knowledge questionnaire in a sample of French Canadians from the province of Quebec, taking into account dietary guidelines. A thirty-eight-item questionnaire was developed by the research team and evaluated for content validity by an expert panel, and then administered to respondents. Face validity and construct validity were measured in a pre-test. Exploratory factor analysis and covariance structure analysis were performed to verify the structure of the questionnaire and identify problematic items. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were evaluated through a validation study. Online survey. Six nutrition and psychology experts, fifteen registered dietitians (RD) and 180 lay people participated. Content validity evaluation resulted in the removal of two items and reformulation of one item. Following face validity, one item was reformulated. Construct validity was found to be adequate, with higher scores for RD v. non-RD (21·5 (sd 2·1) v. 15·7 (sd 3·0) out of 24, P<0·001). Exploratory factor analysis revealed that the questionnaire contained only one factor. Covariance structure analysis led to removal of sixteen items. Internal consistency for the overall questionnaire was adequate (Cronbach's α=0·73). Assessment of test-retest reliability resulted in significant associations for the total knowledge score (r=0·59, P<0·001). This nutrition knowledge questionnaire was found to be a suitable instrument which can be used to measure levels of nutrition knowledge in a Canadian population. It could also serve as a model for the development of similar instruments in other populations.

  10. Development of the EORTC QLQ-CAX24, A Questionnaire for Cancer Patients With Cachexia.

    PubMed

    Wheelwright, Sally J; Hopkinson, Jane B; Darlington, Anne-Sophie; Fitzsimmons, Deborah F; Fayers, Peter; Balstad, Trude R; Bredart, Anne; Hammerlid, Eva; Kaasa, Stein; Nicolatou-Galitis, Ourania; Pinto, Monica; Schmidt, Heike; Solheim, Tora S; Strasser, Florian; Tomaszewska, Iwona M; Johnson, Colin D

    2017-02-01

    Cachexia is commonly found in cancer patients and has profound consequences; yet there is only one questionnaire that examines the patient's perspective. To report a rigorously developed module for patient self-reported impact of cancer cachexia. Module development followed published guidelines. Patients from across the cancer cachexia trajectory were included. In Phase 1, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) issues were generated from a literature review and interviews with patients in four countries. The issues were revised based on patient and health care professional (HCP) input. In Phase 2, questionnaire items were formulated and translated into the languages required for Phase 3, the pilot phase, in which patients from eight countries scored the relevance and importance of each item, and provided qualitative feedback. A total of 39 patients and 12 HCPs took part in Phase 1. The literature review produced 68 HRQOL issues, with 22 new issues arising from the patient interviews. After patient and HCP input, 44 issues were formulated into questionnaire items in Phase 2. One hundred ten patients took part in Phase 3. One item was reworded, and 20 items were deleted as a consequence of patient feedback. The QLQ-CAX24 is a cancer cachexia-specific questionnaire, comprising 24 items, for HRQOL assessment in clinical trials and practice. It contains five multi-item scales (food aversion, eating and weight-loss worry, eating difficulties, loss of control, and physical decline) and four single items. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Reliability and validity of the Dutch version of the Consultation and Relational Empathy Measure in primary care.

    PubMed

    van Dijk, Inge; Scholten Meilink Lenferink, Nick; Lucassen, Peter L B J; Mercer, Stewart W; van Weel, Chris; Olde Hartman, Tim C; Speckens, Anne E M

    2017-02-01

    Empathy is an essential skill in doctor-patient communication with positive effects on compliance, patient satisfaction and symptom duration. There are no validated patient-rated empathy measures available in Dutch. To investigate the validity and reliability of a Dutch version of the Consultation and Relational Empathy (CARE) Measure, a widely used 10-item patient-rated questionnaire of physician empathy. After translation and back translation, the Dutch CARE Measure was distributed among patients from 19 general practitioners in 5 primary care centers. Tests of internal reliability and validity included Cronbach's alpha, item total correlations and factor analysis. Seven items of the QUality Of care Through the patient's Eyes (QUOTE) questionnaire assessing 'affective performance' of the physician were included in factor analysis and used to investigate convergent validity. Of the 800 distributed questionnaires, 655 (82%) were returned. Acceptability and face validity were supported by a low number of 'does not apply' responses (range 0.2%-11.9%). Internal reliability was high (Cronbach's alpha 0.974). Corrected item total correlations were at a minimum of 0.837. Factor analysis on the 10 items of the CARE Measure and 7 QUOTE items resulted in two factors (Eigenvalue > 1), the first containing the CARE Measure items and the second containing the QUOTE items. Convergent construct validity between the CARE Measure and QUOTE was confirmed with a modest positive correlation (r = 0.34, n = 654, P < 0.001). The findings support the preliminary validity and reliability of the Dutch CARE Measure. Future research is required to investigate divergent validity and discriminant ability between doctors. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  12. Exploring the measurement properties of the osteopathy clinical teaching questionnaire using Rasch analysis.

    PubMed

    Vaughan, Brett

    2018-01-01

    Clinical teaching evaluations are common in health profession education programs to ensure students are receiving a quality clinical education experience. Questionnaires students use to evaluate their clinical teachers have been developed in professions such as medicine and nursing. The development of a questionnaire that is specifically for the osteopathy on-campus, student-led clinic environment is warranted. Previous work developed the 30-item Osteopathy Clinical Teaching Questionnaire. The current study utilised Rasch analysis to investigate the construct validity of the Osteopathy Clinical Teaching Questionnaire and provide evidence for the validity argument through fit to the Rasch model. Senior osteopathy students at four institutions in Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom rated their clinical teachers using the Osteopathy Clinical Teaching Questionnaire. Three hundred and ninety-nine valid responses were received and the data were evaluated for fit to the Rasch model. Reliability estimations (Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega) were also evaluated for the final model. The initial analysis demonstrated the data did not fit the Rasch model. Accordingly, modifications to the questionnaire were made including removing items, removing person responses, and rescoring one item. The final model contained 12 items and fit to the Rasch model was adequate. Support for unidimensionality was demonstrated through both the Principal Components Analysis/t-test, and the Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega reliability estimates. Analysis of the questionnaire using McDonald's omega hierarchical supported a general factor (quality of clinical teaching in osteopathy). The evidence for unidimensionality and the presence of a general factor support the calculation of a total score for the questionnaire as a sufficient statistic. Further work is now required to investigate the reliability of the 12-item Osteopathy Clinical Teaching Questionnaire to provide evidence for the validity argument.

  13. Measuring the quality of life of people at the end of life: The McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Revised.

    PubMed

    Cohen, S Robin; Sawatzky, Richard; Russell, Lara B; Shahidi, Javad; Heyland, Daren K; Gadermann, Anne M

    2017-02-01

    The McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire has been widely used with people with life-threatening illnesses without modification since its publication in 1996. With use, areas for improvement have emerged; therefore, various minor modifications were tested over time. To revise the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire (McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Revised) while maintaining or improving its psychometric properties and length, keeping it as close as possible to the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire to enable reasonable comparison with existing McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire literature. Data sets from eight studies were used (four studies originally used to develop the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire, two to develop new McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire versions, and two with unrelated purposes). The McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Revised was developed using analyses of measurement invariance, confirmatory factor analysis, and calculation of correlations with the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire's global quality of life item. Data were from 1702 people with life-threatening illnesses recruited from acute and palliative care units, palliative home care services, and oncology and HIV/AIDS outpatient clinics. The McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Revised consists of 14 items (plus the global quality of life item). A new Physical subscale was created combining physical symptoms and physical well-being and a new item on physical functioning. The Existential subscale was reduced to four items. The revised Support subscale, renamed Social, focuses more on relationships. The Psychological subscale remains unchanged. Confirmatory factor analysis results provide support for the measurement structure of the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Revised. The overall scale has good internal consistency reliability ( α = 0.94). The McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Revised improves on and can replace the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire since it contains improved wording, a somewhat expanded repertoire of concepts with fewer items, and a single subscale for the physical domain, while retaining good psychometric properties.

  14. Development of a questionnaire encompassing indicators of distress: a tool for use with women in surgical continuity of care for breast cancer.

    PubMed

    Jørgensen, L; Garne, J P; Søgaard, M; Laursen, B S

    2015-04-01

    Women with breast cancer often experience significant distress. Currently, there are no questionnaires aimed at identifying women's unique and possible changing indicators for distress in surgical continuity of care for breast cancer. We developed and tested three questionnaires specifically for this use. We first searched PubMed, CINAHL and PsycINFO to retrieve information on previously described indicators. Next, we conducted a focus group interview with 6 specialised nurses, who have extensive experience about consequences of breast cancer for women in surgical continuity of care. The questionnaire was tested on 18 women scheduled for breast cancer surgery. Subsequently, the women were debriefed to gain knowledge about comprehensibility, readability and relevance of items, and the time needed to complete the questionnaire. After adjustment, the questionnaires were field-tested concomitantly with a clinical study, which both consisted of a survey and an interview study. Three multi-item questionnaires were developed specific to different time points in surgical continuity of care. The questionnaires share a core of statements divided into seven sub-scales: emotional and physical situation, social condition, sexuality, body image, religion and organisational factors. Besides the core of statements, each questionnaire has different statements depending on the time point of surgical continuity of care when it was to be responded to. The questionnaires contain comprehensive items that can identify indicators for distress in individual women taking part in surgical continuity of care. The items were understandable and the time used for filling in the questionnaires was reasonable. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Spirituality and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: content comparison of questionnaires measuring mindfulness based on the International Classification of Functioning.

    PubMed

    Offenbächer, Martin; Sauer, Sebastian; Hieblinger, Robin; Hufford, David J; Walach, Harald; Kohls, Niko

    2011-01-01

    To identify and compare the concepts contained in questionnaires measuring mindfulness using the International Classification of Functioning (ICF) as external reference. Questionnaires which are published in peer-reviewed journals and listed in Pubmed or PsycInfo were included. The questionnaires were analysed and, using a content-analytical approach, the respective items were categorised and linked to the ICF. Ten questionnaires were included. Ninety-four per cent (N = 341) of the concepts could be linked to 37 different ICF categories. One hundred and seventy-one (50.1%) concepts were linked to ICF categories of the component Body Function, 74 (21.7%) to categories of the component Activity and Participation and none to categories of the component Environmental Factors. In total, 28.2% of the linked concepts belonged to Personal factors, which are not yet classified in the ICF. The questionnaires exhibited considerable differences regarding content density (i.e. the average number of concepts per item) and content diversity (i.e. the number of ICF categories per concept). The ICF provides an useful external reference to identify and compare the concepts contained in mindfulness questionnaires. Also, mindfulness questionnaire concepts suggest potentially useful factors for classification within the ICF.

  16. Development and evaluation of the EOL-ICDQ as a measure of experiences, attitudes and knowledge in end-of-life in patients living with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.

    PubMed

    Thylén, Ingela; Wenemark, Marika; Fluur, Christina; Strömberg, Anna; Bolse, Kärstin; Årestedt, Kristofer

    2014-04-01

    Due to extended indications and resynchronization therapy, many implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) recipients will experience progressive co-morbid conditions and will be more likely to die of causes other than cardiac death. It is therefore important to elucidate the ICD patients' preferences when nearing end-of-life. Instead of avoiding the subject of end-of-life, a validated questionnaire may be helpful to explore patients' experiences and attitudes about end-of-life concerns and to assess knowledge of the function of the ICD in end-of-life. Validated instruments assessing patients' perspective concerning end-of-life issues are scarce. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate respondent satisfaction and measurement properties of the 'Experiences, Attitudes and Knowledge of End-of-Life Issues in Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Patients' Questionnaire' (EOL-ICDQ). The instrument was tested for validity, respondent satisfaction, and for homogeneity and stability in the Swedish language. An English version of the EOL-ICDQ was validated, but has not yet been pilot tested. The final instrument contained three domains, which were clustered into 39 items measuring: experiences (10 items), attitudes (18 items), and knowledge (11 items) of end-of-life concerns in ICD patients. In addition, the questionnaire also contained items on socio-demographic background (six items) and ICD-specific background (eight items). The validity and reliability properties were considered sufficient. The EOL-ICDQ has the potential to be used in clinical practice and future research. Further studies are needed using this instrument in an Anglo-Saxon context with a sample of English-speaking ICD recipients.

  17. The Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire: Mokken Scaling Analysis

    PubMed Central

    Shenkin, Susan D.; Watson, Roger; Laidlaw, Ken; Starr, John M.; Deary, Ian J.

    2014-01-01

    Background Hierarchical scales are useful in understanding the structure of underlying latent traits in many questionnaires. The Attitudes to Ageing Questionnaire (AAQ) explored the attitudes to ageing of older people themselves, and originally described three distinct subscales: (1) Psychosocial Loss (2) Physical Change and (3) Psychological Growth. This study aimed to use Mokken analysis, a method of Item Response Theory, to test for hierarchies within the AAQ and to explore how these relate to underlying latent traits. Methods Participants in a longitudinal cohort study, the Lothian Birth Cohort 1936, completed a cross-sectional postal survey. Data from 802 participants were analysed using Mokken Scaling analysis. These results were compared with factor analysis using exploratory structural equation modelling. Results Participants were 51.6% male, mean age 74.0 years (SD 0.28). Three scales were identified from 18 of the 24 items: two weak Mokken scales and one moderate Mokken scale. (1) ‘Vitality’ contained a combination of items from all three previously determined factors of the AAQ, with a hierarchy from physical to psychosocial; (2) ‘Legacy’ contained items exclusively from the Psychological Growth scale, with a hierarchy from individual contributions to passing things on; (3) ‘Exclusion’ contained items from the Psychosocial Loss scale, with a hierarchy from general to specific instances. All of the scales were reliable and statistically significant with ‘Legacy’ showing invariant item ordering. The scales correlate as expected with personality, anxiety and depression. Exploratory SEM mostly confirmed the original factor structure. Conclusions The concurrent use of factor analysis and Mokken scaling provides additional information about the AAQ. The previously-described factor structure is mostly confirmed. Mokken scaling identifies a new factor relating to vitality, and a hierarchy of responses within three separate scales, referring to vitality, legacy and exclusion. This shows what older people themselves consider important regarding their own ageing. PMID:24892302

  18. Young Adults’ Belief in Genetic Determinism, and Knowledge and Attitudes towards Modern Genetics and Genomics: The PUGGS Questionnaire

    PubMed Central

    Carver, Rebecca Bruu; Castéra, Jérémy; Gericke, Niklas; Evangelista, Neima Alice Menezes

    2017-01-01

    In this paper we present the development and validation a comprehensive questionnaire to assess college students’ knowledge about modern genetics and genomics, their belief in genetic determinism, and their attitudes towards applications of modern genetics and genomic-based technologies. Written in everyday language with minimal jargon, the Public Understanding and Attitudes towards Genetics and Genomics (PUGGS) questionnaire is intended for use in research on science education and public understanding of science, as a means to investigate relationships between knowledge, determinism and attitudes about modern genetics, which are to date little understood. We developed a set of core ideas and initial items from reviewing the scientific literature on genetics and previous studies on public and student knowledge and attitudes about genetics. Seventeen international experts from different fields (e.g., genetics, education, philosophy of science) reviewed the initial items and their feedback was used to revise the questionnaire. We validated the questionnaire in two pilot tests with samples of university freshmen students. The final questionnaire contains 45 items, including both multiple choice and Likert scale response formats. Cronbach alpha showed good reliability for each section of the questionnaire. In conclusion, the PUGGS questionnaire is a reliable tool for investigating public understanding and attitudes towards modern genetics and genomic-based technologies. PMID:28114357

  19. Young Adults' Belief in Genetic Determinism, and Knowledge and Attitudes towards Modern Genetics and Genomics: The PUGGS Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Carver, Rebecca Bruu; Castéra, Jérémy; Gericke, Niklas; Evangelista, Neima Alice Menezes; El-Hani, Charbel N

    2017-01-01

    In this paper we present the development and validation a comprehensive questionnaire to assess college students' knowledge about modern genetics and genomics, their belief in genetic determinism, and their attitudes towards applications of modern genetics and genomic-based technologies. Written in everyday language with minimal jargon, the Public Understanding and Attitudes towards Genetics and Genomics (PUGGS) questionnaire is intended for use in research on science education and public understanding of science, as a means to investigate relationships between knowledge, determinism and attitudes about modern genetics, which are to date little understood. We developed a set of core ideas and initial items from reviewing the scientific literature on genetics and previous studies on public and student knowledge and attitudes about genetics. Seventeen international experts from different fields (e.g., genetics, education, philosophy of science) reviewed the initial items and their feedback was used to revise the questionnaire. We validated the questionnaire in two pilot tests with samples of university freshmen students. The final questionnaire contains 45 items, including both multiple choice and Likert scale response formats. Cronbach alpha showed good reliability for each section of the questionnaire. In conclusion, the PUGGS questionnaire is a reliable tool for investigating public understanding and attitudes towards modern genetics and genomic-based technologies.

  20. Development and psychometric evaluation of the Premarital Sexual Behavior Assessment Scale for Young Women (PSAS-YW): an exploratory mixed method study.

    PubMed

    Rahmani, Azam; Merghati-Khoei, Effat; Moghadam-Banaem, Lida; Hajizadeh, Ebrahim; Hamdieh, Mostafa; Montazeri, Ali

    2014-06-13

    Premarital sexual behaviors are important issue for women's health. The present study was designed to develop and examine the psychometric properties of a scale in order to identify young women who are at greater risk of premarital sexual behavior. This was an exploratory mixed method investigation. Indeed, the study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, qualitative methods (focus group discussion and individual interview) were applied to generate items and develop the questionnaire. In the second phase, psychometric properties (validity and reliability) of the questionnaire were assessed. In the first phase an item pool containing 53 statements related to premarital sexual behavior was generated. In the second phase item reduction was applied and the final version of the questionnaire containing 26 items was developed. The psychometric properties of this final version were assessed and the results showed that the instrument has a good structure, and reliability. The results from exploratory factory analysis indicated a 5-factor solution for the instrument that jointly accounted for the 57.4% of variance observed. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the instrument was found to be 0.87. This study provided a valid and reliable scale to identify premarital sexual behavior in young women. Assessment of premarital sexual behavior might help to improve women's sexual abstinence.

  1. Development and psychometric evaluation of the Premarital Sexual Behavior Assessment Scale for Young Women (PSAS-YW): an exploratory mixed method study

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Premarital sexual behaviors are important issue for women’s health. The present study was designed to develop and examine the psychometric properties of a scale in order to identify young women who are at greater risk of premarital sexual behavior. Method This was an exploratory mixed method investigation. Indeed, the study was conducted in two phases. In the first phase, qualitative methods (focus group discussion and individual interview) were applied to generate items and develop the questionnaire. In the second phase, psychometric properties (validity and reliability) of the questionnaire were assessed. Results In the first phase an item pool containing 53 statements related to premarital sexual behavior was generated. In the second phase item reduction was applied and the final version of the questionnaire containing 26 items was developed. The psychometric properties of this final version were assessed and the results showed that the instrument has a good structure, and reliability. The results from exploratory factory analysis indicated a 5-factor solution for the instrument that jointly accounted for the 57.4% of variance observed. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the instrument was found to be 0.87. Conclusion This study provided a valid and reliable scale to identify premarital sexual behavior in young women. Assessment of premarital sexual behavior might help to improve women’s sexual abstinence. PMID:24924696

  2. Psychiatrists' Perceptions and Practices in Treating Patients' Obesity

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lichwala-Zyla, Christine; Price, James H.; Dake, Joseph A.; Jordan, Timothy; Price, Joy Ann

    2009-01-01

    Objective: This study identified psychiatrists' perceptions and practices regarding advising and treating obese patients. Methods: Questionnaires were mailed to a national random sample of 500 members of APA. A three-wave mailing was used to maximize the return rate. The questionnaire contained items on weight control based on the Stages of Change…

  3. Measuring the Institutional Stance on Matters of Student Conduct.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Seligman, Richard

    This study is concerned with the initial testing of a questionnaire designed to examine student discipline policies in terms of student perception of goals and objectives, scope, procedures, and sanctions. "Institutional Procedures in Colleges and Universities" (IPCU), the questionnaire, containing 45 items, was sent to students and deans at 5…

  4. Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (IERQ): Scale Development and Psychometric Characteristics

    PubMed Central

    Hofmann, Stefan G; Carpenter, Joseph K.; Curtiss, Joshua

    2016-01-01

    Despite the popularity of emotion regulation in the contemporary literature, research has almost exclusively focused on only intrapersonal processes, whereas much less attention has been placed in interpersonal emotion regulation processes. In order to encourage research on interpersonal emotion regulation, we present a series of 4 studies to develop the Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (IERQ). The final scale consists of 20 items with 4 factors containing 5 items each. The 4 factors are: Enhancing Positive Affect; Perspective Taking; Soothing; and Social Modeling. The scale shows excellent psychometric characteristics. Implications for future research are discussed. PMID:27182094

  5. Development and Confirmatory Factory Analysis of the Achievement Task Value Scale for University Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lou, Yu-Chiung; Lin, Hsiao-Fang; Lin, Chin-Wen

    2013-01-01

    The aims of the study were (a) to develop a scale to measure university students' task value and (b) to use confirmatory factor analytic techniques to investigate the construct validity of the scale. The questionnaire items were developed based on theoretical considerations and the final version contained 38 items divided into 4 subscales.…

  6. Measuring the effects of online health information: Scale validation for the e-Health Impact Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Kelly, Laura; Ziebland, Sue; Jenkinson, Crispin

    2015-11-01

    Health-related websites have developed to be much more than information sites: they are used to exchange experiences and find support as well as information and advice. This paper documents the development of a tool to compare the potential consequences and experiences a person may encounter when using health-related websites. Questionnaire items were developed following a review of relevant literature and qualitative secondary analysis of interviews relating to experiences of health. Item reduction steps were performed on pilot survey data (n=167). Tests of validity and reliability were subsequently performed (n=170) to determine the psychometric properties of the questionnaire. Two independent item pools entered psychometric testing: (1) Items relating to general views of using the internet in relation to health and, (2) Items relating to the consequences of using a specific health-related website. Identified sub-scales were found to have high construct validity, internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Analyses confirmed good psychometric properties in the eHIQ-Part 1 (11 items) and the eHIQ-Part 2 (26 items). This tool will facilitate the measurement of the potential consequences of using websites containing different types of material (scientific facts and figures, blogs, experiences, images) across a range of health conditions. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  7. Development and validity of a questionnaire to test the knowledge of primary care personnel regarding nutrition in obese adolescents.

    PubMed

    de Pinho, Lucinéia; Moura, Paulo Henrique Tolentino; Silveira, Marise Fagundes; de Botelho, Ana Cristina Carvalho; Caldeira, Antônio Prates

    2013-07-18

    In light of its epidemic proportions in developed and developing countries, obesity is considered a serious public health issue. In order to increase knowledge concerning the ability of health care professionals in caring for obese adolescents and adopt more efficient preventive and control measures, a questionnaire was developed and validated to assess non-dietitian health professionals regarding their Knowledge of Nutrition in Obese Adolescents (KNOA). The development and evaluation of a questionnaire to assess the knowledge of primary care practitioners with respect to nutrition in obese adolescents was carried out in five phases, as follows: 1) definition of study dimensions 2) development of 42 questions and preliminary evaluation of the questionnaire by a panel of experts; 3) characterization and selection of primary care practitioners (35 dietitians and 265 non-dietitians) and measurement of questionnaire criteria by contrasting the responses of dietitians and non-dietitians; 4) reliability assessment by question exclusion based on item difficulty (too easy and too difficult for non-dietitian practitioners), item discrimination, internal consistency and reproducibility index determination; and 5) scoring the completed questionnaires. Dietitians obtained higher scores than non-dietitians (Mann-Whitney U test, P < 0.05), confirming the validity of the questionnaire criteria. Items were discriminated by correlating the score for each item with the total score, using a minimum of 0.2 as a correlation coefficient cutoff value. Item difficulty was controlled by excluding questions answered correctly by more than 90% of the non-dietitian subjects (too easy) or by less than 10% of them (too difficult). The final questionnaire contained 26 of the original 42 questions, increasing Cronbach's α value from 0.788 to 0.807. Test-retest agreement between respondents was classified as good to very good (Kappa test, >0.60). The KNOA questionnaire developed for primary care practitioners is a valid, consistent and suitable instrument that can be applied over time, making it a promising tool for developing and guiding public health policies.

  8. Learning Wellness: A Water Exercise Class in Zagreb, Croatia

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Roberson, Donald N., Jr.

    2007-01-01

    The research reported in this article investigated the dynamics of a water exercise class with older adults in Zagreb, Croatia. It focused on 3 classes of older swimmers at a community exercise center. A total of 105 participants were asked to complete a short questionnaire. The questionnaire contained items on demographics, use of free time, and…

  9. Pupils' Understanding of Photosynthesis: A Questionnaire for the Simultaneous Assessment of all Aspects

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Marmaroti, Panagiota; Galanopoulou, Dia

    2006-01-01

    In this study, a close-ended questionnaire examining all aspects of photosynthesis simultaneously has been developed and administered to 290 Greek pupils aged 13. It contains complementary or logically related items that permitted us to assess the understanding of each aspect by carrying out crossanalysis. The main findings are: that pupils are…

  10. Development and validation of the patient evaluation scale (PES) for primary health care in Nigeria.

    PubMed

    Ogaji, Daprim S; Giles, Sally; Daker-White, Gavin; Bower, Peter

    2017-03-01

    Questionnaires developed for patient evaluation of the quality of primary care are often focussed on primary care systems in developed countries. Aim To report the development and validation of the patient evaluation scale (PES) designed for use in the Nigerian primary health care context. An iterative process was used to develop and validate the questionnaire using patients attending 28 primary health centres across eight states in Nigeria. The development involved literature review, patient interviews, expert reviews, cognitive testing with patients and waves of quantitative cross-sectional surveys. The questionnaire's content validity, internal structures, acceptability, reliability and construct validity are reported. Findings The full and shortened version of PES with 27 and 18 items, respectively, were developed through these process. The low item non-response from the serial cross-sectional surveys depicts questionnaire's acceptability among the local population. PES-short form (SF) has Cronbach's α of 0.87 and three domains (codenamed 'facility', 'organisation' and 'health care') with Cronbach's αs of 0.78, 0.79 and 0.81, respectively. Items in the multi-dimensional questionnaire demonstrated adequate convergent and discriminant properties. PES-SF scores show significant positive correlation with scores of the full PES and also discriminated population groups in support of a priori hypotheses. The PES and PES-SF contain items that are relevant to the needs of patients in Nigeria. The good measurement properties of the questionnaire demonstrates its potential usefulness for patient-focussed quality improvement activities in Nigeria. There is still need to translate these questionnaires into major languages in Nigeria and assess their validity against external quality criteria.

  11. [Questionnaire on parental attitudes and rearing practices (FEPS)].

    PubMed

    Richter-Appelt, Hertha; Schimmelmann, Benno Graf; Tiefensee, Jutta

    2004-01-01

    A positive parent-child relationship is one of the most important determinants of a healthy cognitive, emotional and social development. The relationship from parent to child is determined by parenting styles. Parenting styles are characterised by the two dimensions parental attitudes and rearing practices. The development and the psychometric properties of a questionnaire on parental attitudes and rearing practices (FEPS), which contains an extended version of the Parental Bonding Instrument by Parker et al. (PBI, 1979) and two scales on parental reinforcement and punishment behaviour, is presented. In a sample of 457 women and 159 men factorial and item analysis revealed four scales (care, autonomy, low punishment and low material reinforcement). The care dimension contained items of immaterial reinforcement on the positive pole and items of coldness and ignorance as means of punishment on the negative pole. Based on findings from its first application in a clinical study it can be assumed that the FEPS differentiates between clinical and non-clinical populations. Additionally, varying patterns of the four scales may emerge as risk factors for the development of certain psychiatric/psychological problems.

  12. Confirmatory Factor Analysis of the Finnish Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) in 590 Professional Musicians.

    PubMed

    Vastamäki, Heidi; Vastamäki, Martti; Laimi, Katri; Saltychev, Michail

    2017-07-01

    Poorly functioning work environments may lead to dissatisfaction for the employees and financial loss for the employers. The Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) was designed to measure social and psychological characteristics of work environments. To investigate the factor construct of the Finnish 14-item version of JCQ when applied to professional orchestra musicians. In a cross-sectional survey, the questionnaire was sent by mail to 1550 orchestra musicians and students. 630 responses were received. Full data were available for 590 respondents (response rate 38%).The questionnaire also contained questions on demographics, job satisfaction, health status, health behaviors, and intensity of playing music. Confirmatory factor analysis of the 2-factor model of JCQ was conducted. Of the 5 estimates, JCQ items in the "job demand" construct, the "conflicting demands" (question 5) explained most of the total variance in this construct (79%) demonstrating almost perfect correlation of 0.63. In the construct of "job control," "opinions influential" (question 10) demonstrated a perfect correlation index of 0.84 and the items "little decision freedom" (question 14) and "allows own decisions" (question 6) showed substantial correlations of 0.77 and 0.65. The 2-factor model of the Finnish 14-item version of JCQ proposed in this study fitted well into the observed data. The "conflicting demands," "opinions influential," "little decision freedom," and "allows own decisions" items demonstrated the strongest correlations with latent factors suggesting that in a population similar to the studied one, especially these items should be taken into account when observed in the response of a population.

  13. Measuring resource utilization in patient-oriented comparative effectiveness research: a psychometric study of the Resource Utilization Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Smaldone, Arlene; Tsimicalis, Argerie; Stone, Patricia W

    2011-01-01

    In the United States, rising health care costs have led to discussion about bending the cost curve. To understand the true burden of disease and its treatment, costs of care, including those incurred by patients and their families, must be comprehensively assessed using psychometrically sound instruments. The Resource Utilization Questionnaire (RUQ) is a 21-item self-report questionnaire first developed to measure the costs incurred by families of infants who had required intensive care during the newborn period. The purpose of this article is to describe the conceptualization of resource utilization and costs and other methodological issues in conducting economic analyses, the process of adapting the RUQ for use in children and families with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), and the psychometric evaluation to establish content and criterion validity of the instrument. The finalized modified RUQ for T1DM (mRUQ-T1DM) contained 25 items reflecting direct (5 items) and nondirect (3 items) health care, patient/family time (8 items), and patient/family productivity (9 items) costs using a 3-month recall. The mRUQ-T1DM validly measures cost incurred by children and families with T1DM and is easily completed by parents. Furthermore, the mRUQ-T1DM may be adapted for use in other populations using a similar process.

  14. Validation of the MedUseQ: A Self-Administered Screener for Older Adults to Assess Medication Use Problems.

    PubMed

    Berman, Rebecca L; Iris, Madelyn; Conrad, Kendon J; Robinson, Carrie

    2018-01-01

    Older adults taking multiple prescription and nonprescription drugs are at risk for medication use problems, yet there are few brief, self-administered screening tools designed specifically for them. The study objective was to develop and validate a patient-centered screener for community-dwelling older adults. In phase 1, a convenience sample of 57 stakeholders (older adults, pharmacists, nurses, and physicians) participated in concept mapping, using Concept System® Global MAX TM , to identify items for a questionnaire. In phase 2, a 40-item questionnaire was tested with a convenience sample of 377 adults and a 24-item version was tested with 306 older adults, aged 55 and older, using Rasch methodology. In phase 3, stakeholder focus groups provided feedback on the format of questionnaire materials and recommended strategies for addressing problems. The concept map contained 72 statements organized into 6 conceptual clusters or domains. The 24-item screener was unidimensional. Cronbach's alpha was .87, person reliability was acceptable (.74), and item reliability was high (.96). The MedUseQ is a validated, patient-centered tool targeting older adults that can be used to assess a wide range of medication use problems in clinical and community settings and to identify areas for education, intervention, or further assessment.

  15. Development and content validation of the information assessment method for patients and consumers.

    PubMed

    Pluye, Pierre; Granikov, Vera; Bartlett, Gillian; Grad, Roland M; Tang, David L; Johnson-Lafleur, Janique; Shulha, Michael; Barbosa Galvão, Maria Cristiane; Ricarte, Ivan Lm; Stephenson, Randolph; Shohet, Linda; Hutsul, Jo-Anne; Repchinsky, Carol A; Rosenberg, Ellen; Burnand, Bernard; Légaré, France; Dunikowski, Lynn; Murray, Susan; Boruff, Jill; Frati, Francesca; Kloda, Lorie; Macaulay, Ann; Lagarde, François; Doray, Geneviève

    2014-02-18

    Online consumer health information addresses health problems, self-care, disease prevention, and health care services and is intended for the general public. Using this information, people can improve their knowledge, participation in health decision-making, and health. However, there are no comprehensive instruments to evaluate the value of health information from a consumer perspective. We collaborated with information providers to develop and validate the Information Assessment Method for all (IAM4all) that can be used to collect feedback from information consumers (including patients), and to enable a two-way knowledge translation between information providers and consumers. Content validation steps were followed to develop the IAM4all questionnaire. The first version was based on a theoretical framework from information science, a critical literature review and prior work. Then, 16 laypersons were interviewed on their experience with online health information and specifically their impression of the IAM4all questionnaire. Based on the summaries and interpretations of interviews, questionnaire items were revised, added, and excluded, thus creating the second version of the questionnaire. Subsequently, a panel of 12 information specialists and 8 health researchers participated in an online survey to rate each questionnaire item for relevance, clarity, representativeness, and specificity. The result of this expert panel contributed to the third, current, version of the questionnaire. The current version of the IAM4all questionnaire is structured by four levels of outcomes of information seeking/receiving: situational relevance, cognitive impact, information use, and health benefits. Following the interviews and the expert panel survey, 9 questionnaire items were confirmed as relevant, clear, representative, and specific. To improve readability and accessibility for users with a lower level of literacy, 19 items were reworded and all inconsistencies in using a passive or active voice have been solved. One item was removed due to redundancy. The current version of the IAM4all questionnaire contains 28 items. We developed and content validated the IAM4all in partnership with information providers, information specialists, researchers and representatives of information consumers. This questionnaire can be integrated within electronic knowledge resources to stimulate users' reflection (eg, their intention to use information). We claim that any organization (eg, publishers, community organizations, or patient associations), can evaluate and improve their online consumer health information from a consumers' perspective using this method.

  16. Psychological Inflexibility and Child Anxiety.

    PubMed

    Simon, Ellin; Verboon, Peter

    2016-01-01

    Psychological flexibility is the main outcome of acceptance commitment therapy. Insight into the usefulness of measuring psychological flexibility is an important step to enable studies on the effectiveness of acceptance commitment therapy in middle-aged children (8-10 years). For this purpose, we examined the factor structure, the construct validity and the reliability of the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth. The Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth taps psychological inflexibility (the opposite of psychological flexibility) in children and adolescents. Although the questionnaire has been extensively validated in older children, this is not the case for middle-aged children. The Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth contains 17 items and is constituted of the subscales cognitive fusion, experiential avoidance and behavioral ineffectiveness. A shortened 8-item version also exists, the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth-8, which does not distinguish between these subscales. We performed a confirmatory factor analysis. Additionally, we assessed the relationship between psychological flexibility and child anxiety. Children, aged 8-10 years, were recruited via regular primary schools. Of the 459 approached children, 267 (58 %) parents signed informed consents for their children (Age: M  = 9.18; SD  = .79; Sex: n boys  = 137, 51 %). Children completed the questionnaires during regular classes. In this sample, the 17-item version of the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth was less appropriate for measuring psychological inflexibility than the 8-item version. Furthermore, we found a significant positive relationship between psychological inflexibility and child anxiety. We argue that acceptance commitment therapy would be an interesting candidate for intervening early on in dysfunctional child anxiety, as acceptance commitment therapy's cognitive elements require cognitive skills that children are likely to master early on.

  17. Development and validity of a questionnaire to test the knowledge of primary care personnel regarding nutrition in obese adolescents

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background In light of its epidemic proportions in developed and developing countries, obesity is considered a serious public health issue. In order to increase knowledge concerning the ability of health care professionals in caring for obese adolescents and adopt more efficient preventive and control measures, a questionnaire was developed and validated to assess non-dietitian health professionals regarding their Knowledge of Nutrition in Obese Adolescents (KNOA). Methods The development and evaluation of a questionnaire to assess the knowledge of primary care practitioners with respect to nutrition in obese adolescents was carried out in five phases, as follows: 1) definition of study dimensions 2) development of 42 questions and preliminary evaluation of the questionnaire by a panel of experts; 3) characterization and selection of primary care practitioners (35 dietitians and 265 non-dietitians) and measurement of questionnaire criteria by contrasting the responses of dietitians and non-dietitians; 4) reliability assessment by question exclusion based on item difficulty (too easy and too difficult for non-dietitian practitioners), item discrimination, internal consistency and reproducibility index determination; and 5) scoring the completed questionnaires. Results Dietitians obtained higher scores than non-dietitians (Mann–Whitney U test, P < 0.05), confirming the validity of the questionnaire criteria. Items were discriminated by correlating the score for each item with the total score, using a minimum of 0.2 as a correlation coefficient cutoff value. Item difficulty was controlled by excluding questions answered correctly by more than 90% of the non-dietitian subjects (too easy) or by less than 10% of them (too difficult). The final questionnaire contained 26 of the original 42 questions, increasing Cronbach’s α value from 0.788 to 0.807. Test-retest agreement between respondents was classified as good to very good (Kappa test, >0.60). Conclusion The KNOA questionnaire developed for primary care practitioners is a valid, consistent and suitable instrument that can be applied over time, making it a promising tool for developing and guiding public health policies. PMID:23865564

  18. Attitudes Toward Transgender Men and Women: Development and Validation of a New Measure

    PubMed Central

    Billard, Thomas J

    2018-01-01

    A series of three studies were conducted to generate, develop, and validate the Attitudes toward Transgender Men and Women (ATTMW) scale. In Study 1, 120 American adults responded to an open-ended questionnaire probing various dimensions of their perceptions of transgender individuals and identity. Qualitative thematic analysis generated 200 items based on their responses. In Study 2, 238 American adults completed a questionnaire consisting of the generated items. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) revealed two non-identical 12-item subscales (ATTM and ATTW) of the full 24-item scale. In Study 3, 150 undergraduate students completed a survey containing the ATTMW and a number of validity-testing variables. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) verified the single-factor structures of the ATTM and ATTW subscales, and the convergent, discriminant, predictive, and concurrent validities of the ATTMW were also established. Together, our results demonstrate that the ATTMW is a reliable and valid measure of attitudes toward transgender individuals. PMID:29666595

  19. [Development of an activity of daily living scale for patients with COPD: the Activity of Daily Living Dyspnea scale].

    PubMed

    Yoza, Yoshiyasu; Ariyoshi, Koya; Honda, Sumihisa; Taniguchi, Hiroyuki; Senjyu, Hideaki

    2009-10-01

    Patients with COPD often experience restriction in their activities of daily living (ADL) due to dyspnea. This type of restriction is unique to patients with COPD and cannot be adequately evaluated by the generic ADL scales. This study developed an ADL scale (the Activity of Daily Living Dyspnea scale [ADL-D scale]) for patients with COPD and investigated its validity and internal consistency. Patients with stable COPD were recruited and completed a pilot 26-item questionnaire. Patients also performed the Incremental Shuttle Walk Test (ISWT), and completed the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ), and Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnea grade. There were 83 male participants who completed the pilot questionnaire. Following the pilot, 8 items that were not undertaken by the majority of subjects, and 3 items judged to be of low clinical importance by physical therapists were removed from the pilot questionnaire. The final ADL-D scale contained 15 items. Scores obtained with the ADL-D scale were significantly correlated with the MRC dyspnea grades, distance walked on the ISWT and SGRQ scores. The ADL-D scores were significantly different across the five grades of the MRC dyspnea grade. The ADL-D scale showed high consistency (Chronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.96). The ADL-D scale is a useful scale for assessing impairments in ADL in Japanese male patients with COPD.

  20. QUALITY OF LIFE IN PATIENTS WITH GRAVES OPHTHALMOPATHY

    PubMed Central

    Yeatts, R. Patrick

    2005-01-01

    Purpose To assess the quality of life in patients with Graves ophthalmopathy by means of a prospective questionnaire with validation. Methods A questionnaire containing 105 items was sent to 325 patients seen in our university-based oculoplastic clinic. Two hundred three questionnaires were returned and were suitable for analysis. Fifty-three consecutive patients with Graves disease who presented to the clinic for examination also completed the questionnaire. The questionnaire was validated by administering it to 33 healthy subjects who had no history of Graves disease or thyroid disorder. The results were compared with those of normal subjects and with national norms for visually impaired populations. The relationship of individual questionnaire items to measures of clinical severity was subsequently assessed. Results Patients with Graves ophthalmopathy report greater impairment in both physical (44.4 versus 51.9; P < .001) and mental (43.8 versus 51.8; P < .001) health; poorer self- image (P < .001); and significantly more disturbance in their sleep, social function, and work function (P < .001) than controls. Afflicted patients also experience significantly more diplopia, blurred vision, and dry eye symptoms than controls (P < .001). Individual questionnaire items were found to correlate with clinical disease severity scores and were used to establish a Graves ophthalmopathy quality-of-life questionnaire with disease severity validation. Conclusions Patients with Graves disease are significantly impaired in their social and vocational function because of the ophthalmic manifestations of the disease. A short questionnaire that correlates with clinical measures of disease severity may be a useful measure of quality of life in this disease. PMID:17057811

  1. A content validated questionnaire for assessment of self reported venous blood sampling practices

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Venous blood sampling is a common procedure in health care. It is strictly regulated by national and international guidelines. Deviations from guidelines due to human mistakes can cause patient harm. Validated questionnaires for health care personnel can be used to assess preventable "near misses"--i.e. potential errors and nonconformities during venous blood sampling practices that could transform into adverse events. However, no validated questionnaire that assesses nonconformities in venous blood sampling has previously been presented. The aim was to test a recently developed questionnaire in self reported venous blood sampling practices for validity and reliability. Findings We developed a questionnaire to assess deviations from best practices during venous blood sampling. The questionnaire contained questions about patient identification, test request management, test tube labeling, test tube handling, information search procedures and frequencies of error reporting. For content validity, the questionnaire was confirmed by experts on questionnaires and venous blood sampling. For reliability, test-retest statistics were used on the questionnaire answered twice. The final venous blood sampling questionnaire included 19 questions out of which 9 had in total 34 underlying items. It was found to have content validity. The test-retest analysis demonstrated that the items were generally stable. In total, 82% of the items fulfilled the reliability acceptance criteria. Conclusions The questionnaire could be used for assessment of "near miss" practices that could jeopardize patient safety and gives several benefits instead of assessing rare adverse events only. The higher frequencies of "near miss" practices allows for quantitative analysis of the effect of corrective interventions and to benchmark preanalytical quality not only at the laboratory/hospital level but also at the health care unit/hospital ward. PMID:22260505

  2. A content validated questionnaire for assessment of self reported venous blood sampling practices.

    PubMed

    Bölenius, Karin; Brulin, Christine; Grankvist, Kjell; Lindkvist, Marie; Söderberg, Johan

    2012-01-19

    Venous blood sampling is a common procedure in health care. It is strictly regulated by national and international guidelines. Deviations from guidelines due to human mistakes can cause patient harm. Validated questionnaires for health care personnel can be used to assess preventable "near misses"--i.e. potential errors and nonconformities during venous blood sampling practices that could transform into adverse events. However, no validated questionnaire that assesses nonconformities in venous blood sampling has previously been presented. The aim was to test a recently developed questionnaire in self reported venous blood sampling practices for validity and reliability. We developed a questionnaire to assess deviations from best practices during venous blood sampling. The questionnaire contained questions about patient identification, test request management, test tube labeling, test tube handling, information search procedures and frequencies of error reporting. For content validity, the questionnaire was confirmed by experts on questionnaires and venous blood sampling. For reliability, test-retest statistics were used on the questionnaire answered twice. The final venous blood sampling questionnaire included 19 questions out of which 9 had in total 34 underlying items. It was found to have content validity. The test-retest analysis demonstrated that the items were generally stable. In total, 82% of the items fulfilled the reliability acceptance criteria. The questionnaire could be used for assessment of "near miss" practices that could jeopardize patient safety and gives several benefits instead of assessing rare adverse events only. The higher frequencies of "near miss" practices allows for quantitative analysis of the effect of corrective interventions and to benchmark preanalytical quality not only at the laboratory/hospital level but also at the health care unit/hospital ward.

  3. Development and testing of the questionnaire CEC-61: Knowledge about cervical cancer in Chilean adolescents.

    PubMed

    Urrutia, María Teresa; Gajardo, Macarena; Padilla, Oslando

    2017-05-22

    Despite a clear association between human papillomavirus and cervical cancer, knowledge in adolescent populations regarding the disease and methods for its detection and prevention is deficient. The aim of this study was to develop and test a new questionnaire concerning knowledge on cervical cancer. An instrument was developed and validated to measure knowledge in 226 Chilean adolescents between April and June 2011. Content validity, construct validity, and reliability analysis of the instrument were performed. The new, validated instrument, called CEC-61 (Conocimientos en Cancer Cérvicouterino-61 items/Knowledge in Cervical Cancer-61 items), contains nine factors and 61 items. The new questionnaire explained 81% of the variance with a reliability of 0.96. The assessment of knowledge with a valid and reliable instrument is the first step in creating interventions for a population and to encourage appropriate preventive behavior. CEC-61 is highly reliable and has a clear factorial structure to evaluate knowledge in nine domains related to cervical cancer disease, cervical cancer risk, papilloma virus infection, the Papanicolaou test, and the papilloma virus vaccine.

  4. Development of a disease-specific quality of life questionnaire for adult patients with hereditary angioedema due to C1 inhibitor deficiency (HAE-QoL): Spanish multi-centre research project.

    PubMed

    Prior, Nieves; Remor, Eduardo; Gómez-Traseira, Carmen; López-Serrano, Concepción; Cabañas, Rosario; Contreras, Javier; Campos, Ángel; Cardona, Victoria; Cimbollek, Stefan; González-Quevedo, Teresa; Guilarte, Mar; de Rojas, Dolores Hernández Fernández; Marcos, Carmen; Rubio, María; Tejedor-Alonso, Miguel Ángel; Caballero, Teresa

    2012-07-20

    There is a need for a disease-specific instrument for assessing health-related quality of life in adults with hereditary angioedema due to C1 inhibitor deficiency, a rare, disabling and life-threatening disease. In this paper we report the protocol for the development and validation of a specific questionnaire, with details on the results of the process of item generation, domain selection, and the expert and patient rating phase. Semi-structured interviews were completed by 45 patients with hereditary angioedema and 8 experts from 8 regions in Spain. A qualitative content analysis of the responses was carried out. Issues raised by respondents were grouped into categories. Content analysis identified 240 different responses, which were grouped into 10 conceptual domains. Sixty- four items were generated. A total of 8 experts and 16 patients assessed the items for clarity, relevance to the disease, and correct dimension assignment. The preliminary version of the specific health-related quality of life questionnaire for hereditary angioedema (HAE-QoL v 1.1) contained 44 items grouped into 9 domains. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first multi-centre research project that aims to develop a specific health-related quality of life questionnaire for adult patients with hereditary angioedema due to C1 inhibitor deficiency. A preliminary version of the specific HAE-QoL questionnaire was obtained. The qualitative analysis of interviews together with the expert and patient rating phase helped to ensure content validity. A pilot study will be performed to assess the psychometric properties of the questionnaire and to decide on the final version.

  5. Identification of patients with gout: elaboration of a questionnaire for epidemiological studies.

    PubMed

    Richette, P; Clerson, P; Bouée, S; Chalès, G; Doherty, M; Flipo, R M; Lambert, C; Lioté, F; Poiraud, T; Schaeverbeke, T; Bardin, T

    2015-09-01

    In France, the prevalence of gout is currently unknown. We aimed to design a questionnaire to detect gout that would be suitable for use in a telephone survey by non-physicians and assessed its performance. We designed a 62-item questionnaire covering comorbidities, clinical features and treatment of gout. In a case-control study, we enrolled patients with a history of arthritis who had undergone arthrocentesis for synovial fluid analysis and crystal detection. Cases were patients with crystal-proven gout and controls were patients who had arthritis and effusion with no monosodium urate crystals in synovial fluid. The questionnaire was administered by phone to cases and controls by non-physicians who were unaware of the patient diagnosis. Logistic regression analysis and classification and regression trees were used to select items discriminating cases and controls. We interviewed 246 patients (102 cases and 142 controls). Two logistic regression models (sensitivity 88.0% and 87.5%; specificity 93.0% and 89.8%, respectively) and one classification and regression tree model (sensitivity 81.4%, specificity 93.7%) revealed 11 informative items that allowed for classifying 90.0%, 88.8% and 88.5% of patients, respectively. We developed a questionnaire to detect gout containing 11 items that is fast and suitable for use in a telephone survey by non-physicians. The questionnaire demonstrated good properties for discriminating patients with and without gout. It will be administered in a large sample of the general population to estimate the prevalence of gout in France. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  6. Comparison of three shortened questionnaires for assessment of quality of life in advanced cancer.

    PubMed

    Chiu, Leonard; Chiu, Nicholas; Chow, Edward; Cella, David; Beaumont, Jennifer L; Lam, Henry; Popovic, Marko; Bedard, Gillian; Poon, Michael; Wong, Erin; Zeng, Liang; Bottomley, Andrew

    2014-08-01

    Quality of life (QoL) assessment questionnaires can be burdensome to advanced cancer patients, thus necessitating the need for shorter assessment instruments than traditionally available. We compare three shortened QoL questionnaires in regards to their characteristics, validity, and reliability. A literature search was conducted to identify studies that employed or discussed three abridged QoL questionnaires: the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Core 15-Palliative Care (EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL), the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General-7 (FACT-G7), and the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Palliative Care-14 (FACIT-PAL-14). Articles that discussed questionnaire length, intended use, scoring procedure, and validation were included. The 7-item FACT-G7 is the shortest instrument, whereas the EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL and the FACIT-PAL-14 contain 14 and 15 items, respectively. All three questionnaires have similar recall period, item organization, and subscale components. Designed as core questionnaires, all three maintain content and concurrent validity of their unabridged original questionnaires. Both the EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL and the FACT-G7 demonstrate good internal consistency and reliability, with Cronbach's α ≥0.7 deemed acceptable. The developmental study for the FACIT-PAL-14 was published in 2013 and subsequent validation studies are not yet available. The EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL and the FACT-G7 were found to be reliable and appropriate for assessing health-related QoL issues-the former for palliative cancer patients and the latter for advanced cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Conceptually, the FACIT-PAL-14 holds promise to cover social and emotional support issues that are not completely addressed by the other two questionnaires; however, further validation is needed.

  7. Electromechanical Technician Skills Questionnaire.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Anoka-Hennepin Technical Coll., Minneapolis, MN.

    This document contains test items to measure the job skills of electromechanical technicians. Questions are organized in four sections that cover the following topics: (1) shop math; (2) electricity and electronics; (3) mechanics and machining; and (4) plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and welding skills. Questions call for…

  8. Linguistic validation of the Alberta Context Tool and two measures of research use, for German residential long term care.

    PubMed

    Hoben, Matthias; Bär, Marion; Mahler, Cornelia; Berger, Sarah; Squires, Janet E; Estabrooks, Carole A; Kruse, Andreas; Behrens, Johann

    2014-01-31

    To study the association between organizational context and research utilization in German residential long term care (LTC), we translated three Canadian assessment instruments: the Alberta Context Tool (ACT), Estabrooks' Kinds of Research Utilization (RU) items and the Conceptual Research Utilization Scale. Target groups for the tools were health care aides (HCAs), registered nurses (RNs), allied health professionals (AHPs), clinical specialists and care managers. Through a cognitive debriefing process, we assessed response processes validity-an initial stage of validity, necessary before more advanced validity assessment. We included 39 participants (16 HCAs, 5 RNs, 7 AHPs, 5 specialists and 6 managers) from five residential LTC facilities. We created lists of questionnaire items containing problematic items plus items randomly selected from the pool of remaining items. After participants completed the questionnaires, we conducted individual semi-structured cognitive interviews using verbal probing. We asked participants to reflect on their answers for list items in detail. Participants' answers were compared to concept maps defining the instrument concepts in detail. If at least two participants gave answers not matching concept map definitions, items were revised and re-tested with new target group participants. Cognitive debriefings started with HCAs. Based on the first round, we modified 4 of 58 ACT items, 1 ACT item stem and all 8 items of the RU tools. All items were understood by participants after another two rounds. We included revised HCA ACT items in the questionnaires for the other provider groups. In the RU tools for the other provider groups, we used different wording than the HCA version, as was done in the original English instruments. Only one cognitive debriefing round was needed with each of the other provider groups. Cognitive debriefing is essential to detect and respond to problematic instrument items, particularly when translating instruments for heterogeneous, less well educated provider groups such as HCAs. Cognitive debriefing is an important step in research tool development and a vital component of establishing response process validity evidence. Publishing cognitive debriefing results helps researchers to determine potentially critical elements of the translated tools and assists with interpreting scores.

  9. Linguistic validation of the Alberta Context Tool and two measures of research use, for German residential long term care

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background To study the association between organizational context and research utilization in German residential long term care (LTC), we translated three Canadian assessment instruments: the Alberta Context Tool (ACT), Estabrooks’ Kinds of Research Utilization (RU) items and the Conceptual Research Utilization Scale. Target groups for the tools were health care aides (HCAs), registered nurses (RNs), allied health professionals (AHPs), clinical specialists and care managers. Through a cognitive debriefing process, we assessed response processes validity–an initial stage of validity, necessary before more advanced validity assessment. Methods We included 39 participants (16 HCAs, 5 RNs, 7 AHPs, 5 specialists and 6 managers) from five residential LTC facilities. We created lists of questionnaire items containing problematic items plus items randomly selected from the pool of remaining items. After participants completed the questionnaires, we conducted individual semi-structured cognitive interviews using verbal probing. We asked participants to reflect on their answers for list items in detail. Participants’ answers were compared to concept maps defining the instrument concepts in detail. If at least two participants gave answers not matching concept map definitions, items were revised and re-tested with new target group participants. Results Cognitive debriefings started with HCAs. Based on the first round, we modified 4 of 58 ACT items, 1 ACT item stem and all 8 items of the RU tools. All items were understood by participants after another two rounds. We included revised HCA ACT items in the questionnaires for the other provider groups. In the RU tools for the other provider groups, we used different wording than the HCA version, as was done in the original English instruments. Only one cognitive debriefing round was needed with each of the other provider groups. Conclusion Cognitive debriefing is essential to detect and respond to problematic instrument items, particularly when translating instruments for heterogeneous, less well educated provider groups such as HCAs. Cognitive debriefing is an important step in research tool development and a vital component of establishing response process validity evidence. Publishing cognitive debriefing results helps researchers to determine potentially critical elements of the translated tools and assists with interpreting scores. PMID:24479645

  10. Factor analysis of the contextual fine motor questionnaire in children.

    PubMed

    Lin, Chin-Kai; Meng, Ling-Fu; Yu, Ya-Wen; Chen, Che-Kuo; Li, Kuan-Hua

    2014-02-01

    Most studies treat fine motor as one subscale in a developmental test, hence, further factor analysis of fine motor has not been conducted. In fact, fine motor has been treated as a multi-dimensional domain from both clinical and theoretical perspectives, and therefore to know its factors would be valuable. The aim of this study is to analyze the internal consistency and factor validity of the Contextual Fine Motor Questionnaire (CFMQ). Based on the ecological observation and literature, the Contextual Fine Motor Questionnaire (CFMQ) was developed and includes 5 subscales: Pen Control, Tool Use During Handicraft Activities, the Use of Dining Utensils, Connecting and Separating during Dressing and Undressing, and Opening Containers. The main purpose of this study is to establish the factorial validity of the CFMQ through conducting this factor analysis study. Among 1208 questionnaires, 904 were successfully completed. Data from the children's CFMQ submitted by primary care providers was analyzed, including 485 females (53.6%) and 419 males (46.4%) from grades 1 to 5, ranging in age from 82 to 167 months (M=113.9, SD=16.3). Cronbach's alpha was used to measure internal consistency and explorative factor analysis was applied to test the five factor structures within the CFMQ. Results showed that Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the CFMQ for 5 subscales ranged from .77 to .92 and all item-total correlations with corresponding subscales were larger than .4 except one item. The factor loading of almost all items classified to their factor was larger than .5 except 3 items. There were five factors, explaining a total of 62.59% variance for the CFMQ. In conclusion, the remaining 24 items in the 5 subscales of the CFMQ had appropriate internal consistency, test-retest reliability and construct validity. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Reliability and Validity of the Pediatric Palliative Care Questionnaire for Measuring Self-Efficacy, Knowledge, and Adequacy of Prior Medical Education among Pediatric Fellows

    PubMed Central

    Cohen, Harvey J.; Popat, Rita A.; Halamek, Louis P.

    2015-01-01

    Abstract Background: Interventions to improve pediatric trainee education in palliative care have been limited by a lack of reliable and valid tools for measuring effectiveness. Objective: We developed a questionnaire to measure pediatric fellows' self-efficacy (comfort), knowledge, and perceived adequacy of prior medical education. We measured the questionnaire's reliability and validity. Methods: The questionnaire contains questions regarding self-efficacy (23), knowledge (10), fellow's perceived adequacy of prior medical education (6), and demographics. The survey was developed with palliative care experts, and sent to fellows in U.S. pediatric cardiology, critical care, hematology/ oncology, and neonatal-perinatal medicine programs. Measures of reliability, internal consistency, and validity were calculated. Results: One hundred forty-seven fellows completed the survey at test and retest. The self-efficacy and medical education questionnaires showed high internal consistency of 0.95 and 0.84. The test-retest reliability for the Self-Efficacy Summary Score, measured by intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and weighted kappa, was 0.78 (item range 0.44–0.81) and 0.61 (item range 0.36–0.70), respectively. For the Adequacy of Medical Education Summary Score, ICC was 0.85 (item range 0.6–0.78) and weighted kappa was 0.63 (item range 0.47–0.62). Validity coefficients for these two questionnaires were 0.88 and 0.92. Fellows answered a mean of 8.8/10 knowledge questions correctly; percentage agreement ranged from 65% to 99%. Conclusions: This questionnaire is capable of assessing self-efficacy and fellow-perceived adequacy of their prior palliative care training. We recommend use of this tool for fellowship programs seeking to evaluate fellow education in palliative care, or for research studies assessing the effectiveness of a palliative care educational intervention. PMID:26185912

  12. Measurement versus prediction in the construction of patient-reported outcome questionnaires: can we have our cake and eat it?

    PubMed

    Smits, Niels; van der Ark, L Andries; Conijn, Judith M

    2017-11-02

    Two important goals when using questionnaires are (a) measurement: the questionnaire is constructed to assign numerical values that accurately represent the test taker's attribute, and (b) prediction: the questionnaire is constructed to give an accurate forecast of an external criterion. Construction methods aimed at measurement prescribe that items should be reliable. In practice, this leads to questionnaires with high inter-item correlations. By contrast, construction methods aimed at prediction typically prescribe that items have a high correlation with the criterion and low inter-item correlations. The latter approach has often been said to produce a paradox concerning the relation between reliability and validity [1-3], because it is often assumed that good measurement is a prerequisite of good prediction. To answer four questions: (1) Why are measurement-based methods suboptimal for questionnaires that are used for prediction? (2) How should one construct a questionnaire that is used for prediction? (3) Do questionnaire-construction methods that optimize measurement and prediction lead to the selection of different items in the questionnaire? (4) Is it possible to construct a questionnaire that can be used for both measurement and prediction? An empirical data set consisting of scores of 242 respondents on questionnaire items measuring mental health is used to select items by means of two methods: a method that optimizes the predictive value of the scale (i.e., forecast a clinical diagnosis), and a method that optimizes the reliability of the scale. We show that for the two scales different sets of items are selected and that a scale constructed to meet the one goal does not show optimal performance with reference to the other goal. The answers are as follows: (1) Because measurement-based methods tend to maximize inter-item correlations by which predictive validity reduces. (2) Through selecting items that correlate highly with the criterion and lowly with the remaining items. (3) Yes, these methods may lead to different item selections. (4) For a single questionnaire: Yes, but it is problematic because reliability cannot be estimated accurately. For a test battery: Yes, but it is very costly. Implications for the construction of patient-reported outcome questionnaires are discussed.

  13. Development and validation of a questionnaire on 'Satisfaction with dermatological treatment of hand eczema' (DermaSat)

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Objective To develop a self-administered short questionnaire to assess patient satisfaction with medical treatment for hand eczema (dermatitis) with good psychometric properties. Method The content of the questionnaire was determined on the basis of clinical consultation with groups of patients, from studying the existing instruments, and from discussions with a panel of seven experts. A first draft version containing 38 items organised in six dimensions was tested on a pilot sample of patients to assess its legibility. The extended version was then tested on a sample of 217 patients of both genders enrolled at 18 hospitals representative of the national distribution. The questionnaire was supplied together with the Morisky-Green compliance questionnaire, the health-related quality of life (HRQL) SF-12 questionnaire, and a visual analogue scale (VAS) of perceived health status to assess concurrent validity. The dimensionality was reduced by means of exploratory factor analysis, and reliability was evaluated on the basis of internal consistency and two halves reliability estimates. Item discriminant capability and questionnaire discriminant validity with respect to known groups of patients (by gender, principal diagnosis, age, disease severity and treatment) were also assessed. Results The reduction and validation sample was composed of 54% women and 46% men, of various educational levels with an average age of 43 years (SD = 13.7). Of those who responded, 26% were diagnosed with hyperkeratotic dermatitis of the palms and 27% of the fingertips, and 47% with recurring palmar dyshidrotic eczema. The questionnaire was shortened to a version containing 17 items grouped in six dimensions: effectiveness, convenience, impact on HRQL, medical follow-up, side effects, and general opinion. Cronbach's alpha coefficient reached a value of 0.9. The dimensions showed different degrees of correlation, and the scores had a normal distribution with an average of 58.4 points (SD = 18.01). Treatment satisfaction scores attained correlations between 0.003 and 0.222 with the HRQL measures, and showed higher correlations with the effectiveness (r = 0.41) and tolerability (0.22) measures, but very low correlation with compliance (r = 0.015). Significant differences were observed between some diagnoses and treatments. Conclusions The shortened questionnaire proved to have good psychometric properties, providing excellent reliability, satisfactorily reproducing the proposed structure and supplying evidence of validity. PMID:21054872

  14. Assessing child and adolescent pragmatic language competencies: toward evidence-based assessments.

    PubMed

    Russell, Robert L; Grizzle, Kenneth L

    2008-06-01

    Using language appropriately and effectively in social contexts requires pragmatic language competencies (PLCs). Increasingly, deficits in PLCs are linked to child and adolescent disorders, including autism spectrum, externalizing, and internalizing disorders. As the role of PLCs expands in diagnosis and treatment of developmental psychopathology, psychologists and educators will need to appraise and select clinical and research PLC instruments for use in assessments and/or studies. To assist in this appraisal, 24 PLC instruments, containing 1,082 items, are assessed by addressing four questions: (1) Can PLC domains targeted by assessment items be reliably identified?, (2) What are the core PLC domains that emerge across the 24 instruments?, (3) Do PLC questionnaires and tests assess similar PLC domains?, and (4) Do the instruments achieve content, structural, diagnostic, and ecological validity? Results indicate that test and questionnaire items can be reliably categorized into PLC domains, that PLC domains featured in questionnaires and tests significantly differ, and that PLC instruments need empirical confirmation of their dimensional structure, content validity across all developmental age bands, and ecological validity. Progress in building a better evidence base for PLC assessments should be a priority in future research.

  15. Measurement of Stigmatization towards Adults with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

    PubMed Central

    Fuermaier, Anselm B. M.; Tucha, Lara; Koerts, Janneke; Mueller, Anna K.; Lange, Klaus W.; Tucha, Oliver

    2012-01-01

    Objectives In general, assessment tools for stigma in mental disorders such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are lacking. Moreover, misbeliefs and misconceptions about ADHD are common, in particular with regard to the adult form of ADHD. The aim of the present study was to develop a questionnaire measuring stigma in adults with ADHD and to demonstrate its sensitivity. Methods A questionnaire initially containing 64 items associated with stigma in adults with ADHD was developed. A total number of 1261 respondents were included in the analyses. The psychometric properties were investigated on a sample of 1033 participants. The sensitivity of the questionnaire was explored on 228 participants consisting of teachers, physicians and control participants. Results Thirty-seven items were extracted due to exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and the internal consistency of items. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) revealed good psychometric properties of a 6-factor structure. Teachers and physicians differed significantly in their stigmatizing attitudes from control participants. Conclusions The present data shed light on various dimensions of stigma in adult ADHD. Reliability and Social Functioning, Malingering and Misuse of Medication, Ability to Take Responsibility, Norm-violating and Externalizing Behavior, Consequences of Diagnostic Disclosure and Etiology represent critical aspects associated with stigmatization. PMID:23284760

  16. Development and validation of the knowledge and attitudes regarding antibiotics and resistance (KAAR-11) questionnaire for primary care physicians.

    PubMed

    López-Vázquez, Paula; Vázquez-Lago, Juan Manuel; Gonzalez-Gonzalez, Cristian; Piñeiro-Lamas, María; López-Durán, Ana; Herdeiro, Maria Teresa; Figueiras, Adolfo

    2016-10-01

    The aim of this study was to develop a novel, self-administered questionnaire to identify primary-care physicians' knowledge and attitudes regarding antibiotics and resistance (KAAR). The study population comprised primary care physicians. The study was conducted in five phases. Phase I consisted of a systematic review and qualitative focus-group study (n = 33 physicians), in which items were formulated so as to be measured on a continuous, visual analogue scale (VAS); in Phase II, content validation and face validity were evaluated by a panel of experts, which reformulated, added and deleted items; Phase III consisted of a pilot study on a population possessing similar characteristics (n = 15); in Phase IV, we analysed reliability by means of a test-retest study (n = 91) and calculated the intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs); and in Phase V, we assessed construct validity by applying the known-groups technique, measuring the differences between contrasting groups of physicians formed according to antibiotic prescription quality indicators (group 1, n = 156 versus group 2, n = 191). Following Phases I and II, the questionnaire contained 16 knowledge and attitude items. Participants in the pilot study (Phase III) reported no difficulty. The test-retest study (Phase IV) showed that 11 of the 16 initial knowledge and attitude items yielded an ICC > 0.5, while analysis of known-groups validity (Phase V) showed that 13 of the 16 initial items which assessed knowledge and attitudes discriminated between physicians with good and bad indicators of antibiotics prescription. The final 11 item KAAR questionnaire appears to be valid, reliable and responsive. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  17. Coping Patterns and Stress in Women Teachers.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    McMurray, J. G.

    Popular opinion suggests that teaching is a stressful profession. A dissenting view is supported in this investigation of women teachers in five Canadian provinces. Self-report attitudinal questionnaires containing 26 items were mailed to a sample of 940 elementary and secondary school principals in eight Western and Eastern Canadian provinces.…

  18. Wellness Assessment: A Rationale, A Measure, and Physical/Psychological Components.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Shuffield, Gilda; Dana, Richard H.

    Wellness, or holistic health, represents a positive attitude toward the integration of physical and psychological aspects of lifestyle. There have been few attempts to assess wellness that contain more than questionnaire items across several component areas. This paper describes a test battery that includes physical (nutrition, cardiorespiratory…

  19. Exploring the Redundancy Effect in Print-Based Instruction Containing Representations

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Morrison, Jennifer; Watson, Ginger S.; Morrison, Gary R.

    2015-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of redundancy when learning from realistic science materials. Participants received instruction where redundancy was manipulated between text and diagrams with captions, text and diagrams, and text only. Participants reported levels of cognitive load, responded to questionnaire items and…

  20. Development and psychometric properties of a belief-based Physical Activity Questionnaire for Diabetic Patients (PAQ-DP).

    PubMed

    Ghazanfari, Zeinab; Niknami, Shamsaddin; Ghofranipour, Fazlollah; Hajizadeh, Ebrahim; Montazeri, Ali

    2010-11-09

    This study carried out to develop a scale for assessing diabetic patients' perceptions about physical activity and to test its psychometric properties (The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Diabetic Patients-PAQ-DP). An item pool extracted from the Theory of Planned Behavior literature was generated. Then an expert panel evaluated the items by assessing content validity index and content validity ratio. Consequently exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to indicate the scale constructs. In addition reliability analyses including internal consistency and test-retest analysis were carried out. In all a sample of 127 women with diabetes participated in the study. Twenty-two items were initially extracted from the literature. A six-factor solution (containing 19 items) emerged as a result of an exploratory factor analysis namely: instrumental attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, affective attitude, self-identity, and intention explaining 60.30% of the variance observed. Additional analyses indicated satisfactory results for internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha ranging from 0.54 to 0.8) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ranging from 0.40 to 0.92). The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Diabetic Patients (PAQ-DP) is the first instrument that applies the Theory of Planned Behavior in its constructs. The findings indicated that the PAQ-DP is a reliable and valid measure for assessing physical activity perceptions and now is available and can be used in future studies.

  1. Development and psychometric properties of a belief-based Physical Activity Questionnaire for Diabetic Patients (PAQ-DP)

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background This study carried out to develop a scale for assessing diabetic patients' perceptions about physical activity and to test its psychometric properties (The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Diabetic Patients-PAQ-DP). Methods An item pool extracted from the Theory of Planned Behavior literature was generated. Then an expert panel evaluated the items by assessing content validity index and content validity ratio. Consequently exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to indicate the scale constructs. In addition reliability analyses including internal consistency and test-retest analysis were carried out. Results In all a sample of 127 women with diabetes participated in the study. Twenty-two items were initially extracted from the literature. A six-factor solution (containing 19 items) emerged as a result of an exploratory factor analysis namely: instrumental attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioral control, affective attitude, self-identity, and intention explaining 60.30% of the variance observed. Additional analyses indicated satisfactory results for internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha ranging from 0.54 to 0.8) and intraclass correlation coefficients (ranging from 0.40 to 0.92). Conclusions The Physical Activity Questionnaire for Diabetic Patients (PAQ-DP) is the first instrument that applies the Theory of Planned Behavior in its constructs. The findings indicated that the PAQ-DP is a reliable and valid measure for assessing physical activity perceptions and now is available and can be used in future studies. PMID:21062466

  2. Dietary intake among adults in Trinidad and Tobago and development of a quantitative food frequency questionnaire to highlight nutritional needs for lifestyle interventions.

    PubMed

    Ramdath, D Dan; Hilaire, Debbie G; Cheong, Kimlyn D; Sharma, Sangita

    2011-09-01

    To create a food list and develop a draft quantitative food frequency questionnaire (QFFQ) for Trinidad and Tobago. A mixed sampling method was used to obtain a representative sample and trained interviewers administered 24-h dietary recalls. Portion sizes were assessed and the most frequently reported foods were tabulated. Results are from 155 men and 169 women aged 21-64 years. The most frequently reported food items were: full-cream milk (64%), rice (61%), and sweetened fruit drinks (50%). Carbonated drinks were consumed by 28%. The most frequently consumed fruits were banana (23%) and citrus (22%); < 20% consumed a vegetable food item. The final QFFQ contains 146 items: 19 breads/cakes/cereals; seven rice/pastas/noodles; 12 dairy; 26 meats/poultry/fish/soy products; 15 fruits; 34 vegetables; six legumes; 11 other; 12 drinks; four alcoholic drinks. A list of commonly consumed foods in Trinidad and Tobago was obtained and a draft QFFQ was prepared.

  3. Questionnaire about psychology/disease correlation–I

    PubMed Central

    Ojog, DG; Pănescu, OM; Rusu, EC; Tănăsescu, MD

    2011-01-01

    Rationale: The existing personality inventories are exploring too general psychological features so that the possible psychology/disease associations might be leveled out. Objective: We attempt to build a tool to explore the possible correlation between certain psychological features and the most common internal disorders. Method: We have used two questionnaires containing many pairs of synonymous items (necessary for assessing the consistency of the answers). The items are divided into four main domains: preoccupation for the basal conditions of existence (health/ disease/ death, fear, money, lodging); interaction with other people; action, will/ volition, self-assertion; and preoccupation with the exterior. In this first article we are presenting the correlations between items of the first domain, based on the answers from our first 3138 respondents. Results and discussion: The concern about health is best reflected by general formulations. The desire for security is best expressed by items combining the worry about money and dwelling, and worst by items reflecting the eagerness to gain, keep or judiciously spend money. Among the various fears, those of future, darkness, and loneliness are better indicators of security concern. In assessing the anxiety about safety/ security, specific worries are more revelatory than the general ones. Precaution and inclination for order are the best indicators for the aspiration to stability. Poorer ones are the desire for cleanliness and the tendency to attachment. Health and security concerns seem to be consistently linked. The consistency evaluating system will be based upon pairs of synonymous items correlated with a10–200 or less error probability Abbreviations: PP = psychological profile; PF = personality feature; Q1/ Q2/ Q3 = first/ second/ third questionnaire; HeSD = health subdomain; SeSD = security subdomain; StSD = stability subdomain; ChiSq = chi square; ErrProb = error probability (probability of error). PMID:21505574

  4. Development of the knee osteoarthritis patient education questionnaire: a new measure for evaluating preoperative patient education programmes for patients undergoing total knee replacement.

    PubMed

    Huber, Erika O; Bastiaenen, Caroline H; Bischoff-Ferrari, Heike A; Meichtry, André; de Bie, Rob A

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to develop a generic instrument for the use of patients, named the Knee Osteoarthrtis Patient Education Questionnaire (KOPEQ), to assess the validity of a preoperative educational intervention and to make a preliminary test of its psychometric properties. A patient-reported outcome instrument was designed, using the conceptual framework of Wilson and Cleary as a methodological guide. Likert items with a five-point scale were chosen for the scoring option. The feasibility and interpretability of administering the KOPEQ was tested through conducting interviews with targeted patients. Items of the KOPEQ were linked to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). Psychometric testing contained internal consistency for reliability, and factor analysis for validity properties. A final list of 16 items was derived and linked to the ICF. Targeted patients confirmed in interviews, that all 16 questions were highly understandable and that the length of the questionnaire was feasible and acceptable. There was a good internal consistency for the 16-item KOPEQ with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.83 (95% confidence interval 0.71-0.94). Sixty-one percent of the variance was explained by a four-factor model and the factors were named "didactics", "addressability", "empowerment" and "theory". Results of a factor analysis provided a loading of the separate items between 0.469 and 0.958. The KOPEQ can help to provide health professionals with reliable feedback on how patients assessed the applied patient education intervention. Interviews with patients and a factor analysis revealed new and important insight.

  5. Infant Movement Motivation Questionnaire: development of a measure evaluating infant characteristics relating to motor development in the first year of life.

    PubMed

    Doralp, Samantha; Bartlett, Doreen

    2014-08-01

    This paper highlights the development and testing of the Infant Movement Motivation Questionnaire (IMMQ), an instrument designed to evaluate qualities of infant characteristics that relate specifically to early motor development. The measurement development process included three phases: item generation, pilot testing and evaluation of acceptability and feasibility for parents and exploratory factor analysis. The resultant 27-item questionnaire is designed for completion by parents and contains four factors including Activity, Exploration, Motivation and Adaptability. Overall, the internal consistency of the IMMQ is 0.89 (Cronbach's alpha), with test-retest reliability measured at 0.92 (ICC, with 95% CI 0.83-0.96). Further work could be done to strengthen the individual factors; however it is adequate for use in its full form. The IMMQ can be used for clinical or research purposes, as well as an educational tool for parents. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. A poverty-related quality of life questionnaire can help to detect health inequalities in emergency departments.

    PubMed

    Boyer, Laurent; Baumstarck, Karine; Iordanova, Teodora; Fernandez, Jessica; Jean, Philippe; Auquier, Pascal

    2014-03-01

    This study aimed to develop a self-administered, multidimensional, poverty-related quality of life (PQoL) questionnaire for individuals seeking care in emergency departments (EDs): the PQoL-17. The development of the PQoL was undertaken in three steps: item generation, item reduction, and validation. The content of the PQoL was derived from 80 interviews with patients seeking care in EDs. Using item response and classical test theories, item reduction was performed in 3 EDs on 300 patients and validation was completed in 10 EDs on 619 patients. The PQoL contains 17 items describing seven dimensions (self-esteem/vitality, psychological well-being, relationships with family, relationships with friends, autonomy, physical well-being/access to care, and future perception). The seven-factor structure accounted for 75.1% of the total variance. This model showed a good fit (indices from the LISREL model: root mean square error of approximation, 0.055; comparative fit index, 0.97; general fit index, 0.96; standardized root mean square residual, 0.058). Each item achieved the 0.40 standard for item internal consistency, and Cronbach α coefficients were >0.70. Significant associations with socioeconomic and clinical indicators showed good discriminant and external validity. Infit statistics ranged from 0.82 to 1.16. The PQoL-17 presents satisfactory psychometric properties and can be completed quickly, thereby fulfilling the goal of brevity sought in EDs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. The heritability of cluster A personality disorders assessed by both personal interview and questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Kendler, Kenneth S; Myers, John; Torgersen, Svenn; Neale, Michael C; Reichborn-Kjennerud, Ted

    2007-05-01

    Personality disorders (PDs) as assessed by questionnaires and personal interviews are heritable. However, we know neither how much unreliability of measurement impacts on heritability estimates nor whether the genetic and environmental risk factors assessed by these two methods are the same. We wish to know whether the same set of PD vulnerability factors are assessed by these two methods. A total of 3334 young adult twin pairs from the Norwegian Institute of Public Health Twin Panel (NIPHTP) completed a questionnaire containing 91 PD items. One to 6 years later, 1386 of these pairs were interviewed with the Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality (SIDP-IV). Self-report items predicting interview results were selected by regression. Measurement models were fitted using Mx. In the best-fit models, the latent liabilities to paranoid personality disorder (PPD), schizoid personality disorder (SPD) and schizotypal personality disorder (STPD) were all highly heritable with no evidence of shared environmental effects. For PPD and STPD, only unique environmental effects were specific to the interview measure whereas both environmental and genetic effects were found to be specific to the questionnaire assessment. For SPD, the best-fit model contained genetic and environmental effects specific to both forms of assessment. The latent liabilities to the cluster A PDs are highly heritable but are assessed by current methods with only moderate reliability. The personal interviews assessed the genetic risk for the latent trait with excellent specificity for PPD and STPD and good specificity for SPD. However, for all three PDs, the questionnaires were less specific, also indexing an independent set of genetic risk factors.

  8. High School and College Student Perceptions of the Ozone Depletion Problem.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Groves, Fred; Pugh, Ava

    This paper examines the knowledge of high school biology students (n=107), undergraduate elementary education majors (n=42), and graduate students in an advanced elementary science methods course (n=22) about ozone depletion. The questionnaire used contained 30 items pertaining to ozone depletion which were divided into three subscales: (1)…

  9. Racial Differences in Rural Adolescent Drug Abuse.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Staggs, Frank M., Jr.; Nyberg, Kenneth L.

    Drug abuse and the differences in drug use patterns and related behavior between rural blacks and whites were examined. Questionnaires were administered to 993 (369 black and 624 white) rural adolescents in grades 7-12 in randomly selected schools in Texas. The instrument totaled 15 pages containing 65 items which yielded 178 quantifiable…

  10. Facebook Is a Source of Social Capital Building among University Students: Evidence From a Developing Country

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Raza, Syed Ali; Qazi, Wasim; Umer, Amna

    2017-01-01

    This study analyzes the influence of Facebook usage on building social capital among university students in Karachi by using a modified framework of technology acceptance model. Important information was gathered utilizing organized questionnaire containing items of Facebook intensity, social self-efficacy, perceived ease of use, perceived…

  11. Questions for Online Surveys

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ritter, Lois A., Ed.; Sue, Valerie M., Ed.

    2007-01-01

    The primary function of an evaluation is often to assess the degree of success of a program or to collect information that may be used to improve a program, product, or service. To meet an evaluation's goals and objectives by using an online survey, it is imperative that the questionnaire contain valid and reliable items asked about specific…

  12. Depression in College Students: Student Experience Inventory.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kirkland, Angela G.; Redfield, Doris L.

    To assess depression in college students, two inventories were compared: the Student Experience Inventory (SEI) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). SEI, a self-report questionnaire, contains 56 items that are designed to measure hopelessness and decreased energy levels, as well as five factors covered in BDI: (1) negative affect toward self,…

  13. Validity and Reliability of General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire for Adults in Uganda

    PubMed Central

    Bukenya, Richard; Ahmed, Abhiya; Andrade, Jeanette M.; Grigsby-Toussaint, Diana S.; Muyonga, John; Andrade, Juan E.

    2017-01-01

    This study sought to develop and validate a general nutrition knowledge questionnaire (GNKQ) for Ugandan adults. The initial draft consisted of 133 items on five constructs associated with nutrition knowledge; expert recommendations (16 items), food groups (70 items), selecting food (10 items), nutrition and disease relationship (23 items), and food fortification in Uganda (14 items). The questionnaire validity was evaluated in three studies. For the content validity (study 1), a panel of five content matter nutrition experts reviewed the GNKQ draft before and after face validity. For the face validity (study 2), head teachers and health workers (n = 27) completed the questionnaire before attending one of three focus groups to review the clarity of the items. For the construct and test-rest reliability (study 3), head teachers (n = 40) from private and public primary schools and nutrition (n = 52) and engineering (n = 49) students from Makerere University took the questionnaire twice (two weeks apart). Experts agreed (content validity index, CVI > 0.9; reliability, Gwet’s AC1 > 0.85) that all constructs were relevant to evaluate nutrition knowledge. After the focus groups, 29 items were identified as unclear, requiring major (n = 5) and minor (n = 24) reviews. The final questionnaire had acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach α > 0.95), test-retest reliability (r = 0.89), and differentiated (p < 0.001) nutrition knowledge scores between nutrition (67 ± 5) and engineering (39 ± 11) students. Only the construct on nutrition recommendations was unreliable (Cronbach α = 0.51, test-retest r = 0.55), which requires further optimization. The final questionnaire included topics on food groups (41 items), selecting food (2 items), nutrition and disease relationship (14 items), and food fortification in Uganda (22 items) and had good content, construct, and test-retest reliability to evaluate nutrition knowledge among Ugandan adults. PMID:28230779

  14. Development of a Brief Questionnaire to Assess Contraceptive Intent

    PubMed Central

    Raine-Bennett, Tina R; Rocca, Corinne H

    2015-01-01

    Objective We sought to develop and validate an instrument that can enable providers to identify young women who may be at risk of contraceptive non-adherence. Methods Item response theory based methods were used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Contraceptive Intent Questionnaire, a 15-item self-administered questionnaire, based on theory and prior qualitative and quantitative research. The questionnaire was administered to 200 women aged 15–24 years who were initiating contraceptives. We assessed item fit to the item response model, internal consistency, internal structure validity, and differential item functioning. Results All items fit a one-dimensional model. The separation reliability coefficient was 0.73. Participants’ overall scores covered the full range of the scale (0–15), and items appropriately matched the range of participants’ contraceptive intent. Items met the criteria for internal structure validity and most items functioned similarly between groups of women. Conclusion The Contraceptive Intent Questionnaire appears to be a reliable and valid tool. Future testing is needed to assess predictive ability and clinical utility. Practice Implications The Contraceptive Intent Questionnaire may serve as a valid tool to help providers identify women who may have problems with contraceptive adherence, as well as to pinpoint areas in which counseling may be directed. PMID:26104994

  15. Development of a brief questionnaire to assess contraceptive intent.

    PubMed

    Raine-Bennett, Tina R; Rocca, Corinne H

    2015-11-01

    We sought to develop and validate an instrument that can enable providers to identify young women who may be at risk of contraceptive non-adherence. Item response theory based methods were used to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Contraceptive Intent Questionnaire, a 15-item self-administered questionnaire, based on theory and prior qualitative and quantitative research. The questionnaire was administered to 200 women aged 15-24 years who were initiating contraceptives. We assessed item fit to the item response model, internal consistency, internal structure validity, and differential item functioning. All items fit a one-dimensional model. The separation reliability coefficient was 0.73. Participants' overall scores covered the full range of the scale (0-15), and items appropriately matched the range of participants' contraceptive intent. Items met the criteria for internal structure validity and most items functioned similarly between groups of women. The Contraceptive Intent Questionnaire appears to be a reliable and valid tool. Future testing is needed to assess predictive ability and clinical utility. The Contraceptive Intent Questionnaire may serve as a valid tool to help providers identify women who may have problems with contraceptive adherence, as well as to pinpoint areas in which counseling may be directed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Questionnaire Adapting: Little Changes Mean a Lot.

    PubMed

    Sousa, Vanessa E C; Matson, Jeffrey; Dunn Lopez, Karen

    2017-09-01

    Questionnaire development involves rigorous testing to ensure reliability and validity. Due to time and cost constraints of developing new questionnaires, researchers often adapt existing questionnaires to better fit the purpose of their study. However, the effect of such adaptations is unclear. We conducted cognitive interviews as a method to evaluate the understanding of original and adapted questionnaire items to be applied in a future study. The findings revealed that all subjects (a) comprehended the original and adapted items differently, (b) changed their scores after comparing the original to the adapted items, and (c) were unanimous in stating that the adapted items were easier to understand. Cognitive interviewing allowed us to assess the interpretation of adapted items in a useful and efficient manner before use in data collection.

  17. Development of estimates of dietary nitrates, nitrites, and nitrosamines for use with the Short Willet Food Frequency Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Griesenbeck, John S; Steck, Michelle D; Huber, John C; Sharkey, Joseph R; Rene, Antonio A; Brender, Jean D

    2009-04-06

    Studies have suggested that nitrates, nitrites, and nitrosamines have an etiologic role in adverse pregnancy outcomes and chronic diseases such as cancer. Although an extensive body of literature exists on estimates of these compounds in foods, the extant data varies in quality, quantified estimates, and relevance. We developed estimates of nitrates, nitrites, and nitrosamines for food items listed in the Short Willet Food Frequency Questionnaire (WFFQ) as adapted for use in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Multiple reference databases were searched for published literature reflecting nitrate, nitrite, and nitrosamine values in foods. Relevant published literature was reviewed; only publications reporting results for items listed on the WFFQ were selected for inclusion. The references selected were prioritized according to relevance to the U.S. population. Based on our estimates, vegetable products contain the highest levels of nitrate, contributing as much as 189 mg/serving. Meat and bean products contain the highest levels of nitrites with values up to 1.84 mg/serving. Alcohol, meat and dairy products contain the highest values of nitrosamines with a maximum value of 0.531 microg/serving. The estimates of dietary nitrates, nitrites, and nitrosamines generated in this study are based on the published values currently available. To our knowledge, these are the only estimates specifically designed for use with the adapted WFFQ and generated to represent food items available to the U.S. population. The estimates provided may be useful in other research studies, specifically in those exploring the relation between exposure to these compounds in foods and adverse health outcomes.

  18. Evaluating the organisational climate in Italian public healthcare institutions by means of a questionnaire

    PubMed Central

    Wienand, Ulrich; Cinotti, Renata; Nicoli, Augusta; Bisagni, Miriam

    2007-01-01

    Background By means of the ICONAS project, the Healthcare Agency of an Italian Region developed, and used a standardised questionnaire to quantify the organisational climate. The aims of the project were (a) to investigate whether the healthcare institutions were interested in measuring climate, (b) to estimate the range of applicability and reliability of the instrument, (c) to analyse the dimensions of climate among healthcare personnel, (d) to assess the differences among employees with different contractual positions. Methods The anonymous questionnaire containing 50 items, each with a scale from 1 to 10, was offered to the healthcare organisations, to be compiled during ad hoc meetings. The data were sent to the central project coordinator. The differences between highly specialised staff (mostly physicians) and other employees were assessed after descriptive statistical analysis of the single items. Both Principal Component Analysis and Factor Analysis were used. Results Ten healthcare organisations agreed to partecipate. The questionnaire was completed by 8691 employees out of 13202. The mean value of organisational climate was 4.79 (range 1–10). There were significant differences among single items and between the 2 groups of employees. Multivariate methods showed: (a) one principal component explained > 40% of the variance, (b) 7 factors summarised the data. Conclusion Italian healthcare institutions are interested in assessing organisational phenomena, especially after the reforms of the nineties. The instrument was found to be applicable and suitable for measuring organisational climate. Administration of the questionnaire leads to an acceptable response rate. Climate can be discribed by means of 7 underlying dimensions. PMID:17519007

  19. Evaluating the organisational climate in Italian public healthcare institutions by means of a questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Wienand, Ulrich; Cinotti, Renata; Nicoli, Augusta; Bisagni, Miriam

    2007-05-22

    By means of the ICONAS project, the Healthcare Agency of an Italian Region developed, and used a standardised questionnaire to quantify the organisational climate. The aims of the project were (a) to investigate whether the healthcare institutions were interested in measuring climate, (b) to estimate the range of applicability and reliability of the instrument, (c) to analyse the dimensions of climate among healthcare personnel, (d) to assess the differences among employees with different contractual positions. The anonymous questionnaire containing 50 items, each with a scale from 1 to 10, was offered to the healthcare organisations, to be compiled during ad hoc meetings. The data were sent to the central project coordinator. The differences between highly specialised staff (mostly physicians) and other employees were assessed after descriptive statistical analysis of the single items. Both Principal Component Analysis and Factor Analysis were used. Ten healthcare organisations agreed to participate. The questionnaire was completed by 8691 employees out of 13202. The mean value of organisational climate was 4.79 (range 1-10). There were significant differences among single items and between the 2 groups of employees. Multivariate methods showed: (a) one principal component explained > 40% of the variance, (b) 7 factors summarised the data. Italian healthcare institutions are interested in assessing organisational phenomena, especially after the reforms of the nineties. The instrument was found to be applicable and suitable for measuring organisational climate. Administration of the questionnaire leads to an acceptable response rate. Climate can be described by means of 7 underlying dimensions.

  20. Factors affecting patient satisfaction at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Dental Clinic.

    PubMed

    Adeniyi, A A; Adegbite, K O; Braimoh, M O; Ogunbanjo, B O

    2013-03-01

    Satisfaction is important in dental care because satisfaction with care alleviates dental anxiety, influences patients' compliance and is an important indicator of quality of care. This study was designed to determine the factors that contribute to satisfaction with dental care among patients attending the Lagos State University (LASUTH) Dental Clinic. Across-sectional, descriptive questionnaire-based survey was conducted among adult patients attending the LASUTH Dental Clinic. The questionnaire, a modification of the Dental Satisfaction Questionnaire (DSQ), contained 19 items on a Likert-pattern scale with scores ranging from 0 to 4. The scores obtained for satisfaction with the dental services ranged from 19 to 75 with a mean of 55.30 +/- 11.55. The majority of respondents (305 or 87.4%) were satisfied with the services received. The items generating the highest and lowest mean satisfaction score were cleanliness/comfort of the facility and cost of services respectively. Long waiting time was the item respondents liked least about the services. There was a statistically significant relationship between the items assessing communication and respondent's gender (p = 0.001). The relationship between the overall satisfaction score and gender (p = 0.233), age category (p = 0.842) and educational status (p = 0.565) were not statistically significant. The results indicate a high level of satisfaction with services provided at the LASUTH Dental Clinic. However, there is need for improvement in communication with patients and reduction in waiting time.

  1. Development and psychometric properties of a new social support scale for self-care in middle-aged patients with type II diabetes (S4-MAD)

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Social support has proved to be one of the most effective factors on the success of diabetic self-care. This study aimed to develop a scale for evaluating social support for self-care in middle-aged patients (30–60 years old) with type II diabetes. Methods This was a two-phase qualitative and quantitative study. The study was conducted during 2009 to 2011 in Tehran, Iran. In the qualitative part, a sample of diabetic patients participated in four focus group discussions in order to develop a preliminary item pool. Consequently, content and face validity were performed to provide a pre-final version of the questionnaire. Then, in a quantitative study, reliability (internal consistency and test-retest analysis), validity and factor analysis (both exploratory and confirmatory) were performed to assess psychometric properties of the scale. Results A 38-item questionnaire was developed through the qualitative phase. It was reduced to a 33-item after content validity. Exploratory factor analysis loaded a 30-item with a five-factor solution (nutrition, physical activity, self monitoring of blood glucose, foot care and smoking) that jointly accounted for 72.3% of observed variance. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good fit to the data. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient showed excellent internal consistency (alpha=0.94), and test-retest of the scale with 2-weeks intervals indicated an appropriate stability for the scale (ICC=0.87). Conclusion The findings showed that the designed questionnaire was a valid and reliable instrument for measuring social support for self-care in middle-aged patients with type II diabetes. It is an easy to use questionnaire and contains the most significant diabetes related behaviors that need continuous support for self-care. PMID:23190685

  2. [Questionnaire for the mobbing risk: CDL2.0].

    PubMed

    Gilioli, R; Cassitto, M G; Campanini, P; Punzi, S; Consonni, D; Rengo, C; Fattorini, E; Foá, V

    2005-01-01

    The aim of the study is to develop and validate a questionnaire able to evaluate the risk of mobbing at the workplace. A multiple-choice questionnaire has been developed which contains, among the different items, only one revealing a mobbing situation. The questionnaire has been administered to two groups (group A--243 subjects in a mobbing situation and group B--63 subjects without exposure to mobbing) and the differences in the scores obtained have been analysed. The questionnaire has proved to be valid and reliable. The results show that the presence of five mobbing actions is sufficient to define the workplace situation as potentially at risk for mobbing. The study reveals some limits in the selection of the two samples thus needing some adjustment. However, the questionnaire, also in the present form, can be considered a tool able to detect the mobbing situations.

  3. Measuring the effects of online health information for patients: Item generation for an e-health impact questionnaire

    PubMed Central

    Kelly, Laura; Jenkinson, Crispin; Ziebland, Sue

    2013-01-01

    Objective The internet is a valuable resource for accessing health information and support. We are developing an instrument to assess the effects of websites with experiential and factual health information. This study aimed to inform an item pool for the proposed questionnaire. Methods Items were informed through a review of relevant literature and secondary qualitative analysis of 99 narrative interviews relating to patient and carer experiences of health. Statements relating to identified themes were re-cast as questionnaire items and shown for review to an expert panel. Cognitive debrief interviews (n = 21) were used to assess items for face and content validity. Results Eighty-two generic items were identified following secondary qualitative analysis and expert review. Cognitive interviewing confirmed the questionnaire instructions, 62 items and the response options were acceptable to patients and carers. Conclusion Using a clear conceptual basis to inform item generation, 62 items have been identified as suitable to undergo further psychometric testing. Practice implications The final questionnaire will initially be used in a randomized controlled trial examining the effects of online patient's experiences. This will inform recommendations on the best way to present patients’ experiences within health information websites. PMID:23598293

  4. Mental Health First Aid guidelines for helping a suicidal person: a Delphi consensus study in the Philippines

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background This study aimed to develop guidelines for how a member of the Filipino public should provide mental health first aid to a person who is suicidal. Methods The guidelines were produced by developing a questionnaire containing possible first aid actions and asking an expert panel of 34 Filipino mental health clinicians to rate whether each action should be included in the guidelines. The content of the questionnaire was based on a systematic search of the relevant evidence and claims made by authors of consumer and carer guides and websites. The panel members were asked to complete the questionnaire by web survey. Three rounds of the rating were carried and, at the end of each round, items that reached the consensus criterion were selected for inclusion in the guidelines. During the first round, panel members were also asked to suggest any additional actions that were not covered in the original questionnaire (to include items that are relevant to local cultural circumstances, values, and social norms). Responses to these open-ended questions were used to generate new items. Results The output from the Delphi process was a set of agreed upon action statements. The Delphi process started with 138 statements, 48 new items were written based on suggestions from panel members and, of these 186 items, 102 met the consensus criterion. These statements were used to develop the guidelines appended to this paper. The guidelines are currently being translated into local languages. Conclusions There are a number of actions that are considered to be useful for members of the public when they encounter someone who is experiencing suicidal thoughts or engaging in suicidal behaviour. Although the guidelines are designed for members of the public, they may also be helpful to non-mental health professionals working in health and welfare settings. PMID:21167076

  5. Mental Health First Aid guidelines for helping a suicidal person: a Delphi consensus study in Japan

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background This study aimed to develop guidelines for how a member of the Japanese public should provide mental health first aid to a person who is suicidal. Methods The guidelines were produced by developing a questionnaire containing possible first aid actions and asking an expert panel of 32 Japanese mental health professionals to rate whether each action should be included in the guidelines. The content of the questionnaire was based on a systematic search of the relevant evidence and claims made by authors of consumer and carer guides and websites. The panel members were asked to complete the questionnaire by web survey. Three rounds of the rating were carried and, at the end of each round, items that reached the consensus criterion were selected for inclusion in the guidelines. During the first round, panel members were also asked to suggest any additional actions that were not covered in the original questionnaire (to include items that are relevant to local cultural circumstances, values, and social norms). Responses to these open-ended questions were used to generate new items. Results The output from the Delphi process was a set of agreed upon action statements. The Delphi process started with 138 statements, 38 new items were written based on suggestions from panel members and, of these 176 items, 56 met the consensus criterion. These statements were used to develop the guidelines appended to this article. Conclusions There are a number of actions that are considered to be useful for members of the Japanese public when they encounter someone who is experiencing suicidal thoughts or engaging in suicidal behaviour. Although the guidelines are designed for members of the public, they may also be helpful to health professionals working in health and welfare settings who do not have clinical mental health training. PMID:21592409

  6. Validation of 5-item and 2-item questionnaires in Chinese version of Dizziness Handicap Inventory for screening objective benign paroxysmal positional vertigo.

    PubMed

    Chen, Wei; Shu, Liang; Wang, Qian; Pan, Hui; Wu, Jing; Fang, Jie; Sun, Xu-Hong; Zhai, Yu; Dong, You-Rong; Liu, Jian-Ren

    2016-08-01

    As possible candidate screening instruments for benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), studies to validate the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) sub-scale (5-item and 2-item) and total scores are rare in China. From May 2014 to December 2014, 108(55 with and 53 without BPPV) patients complaining of episodic vertigo in the past week from a vertigo outpatient clinic were enrolled for DHI evaluation, as well as demographic and other clinical data. Objective BPPV was subsequently determined by positional evoking maneuvers under the record of optical Frenzel glasses. Cronbach's coefficient α was used to evaluate the reliability of psychometric scales. The validity of DHI total, 5-item and 2-item questionnaires to screen for BPPV was assessed by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. It revealed that the DHI 5-item questionnaire had good internal consistency (Cronbach's coefficient α = 0.72). Area under the curve of total DHI, 5-item and 2-item scores for discriminating BPPV from those without was 0.678 (95 % CI 0.578-0.778), 0.873(95 % CI 0.807-0.940) and 0.895(95 % CI 0.836-0.953), respectively. It revealed 74.5 % sensitivity and 88.7 % specificity in separating BPPV and those without, with a cutoff value of 12 in the 5-item questionnaire. The corresponding rate of sensitivity and specificity was 78.2 and 88.7 %, respectively, with a cutoff value of 6 in 2-item questionnaire. The present study indicated that both 5-item and 2-item questionnaires in the Chinese version of DHI may be more valid than DHI total score for screening objective BPPV and merit further application in clinical practice in China.

  7. Decision making: rational or hedonic?

    PubMed Central

    Cabanac, Michel; Bonniot-Cabanac, Marie-Claude

    2007-01-01

    Three experiments studied the hedonicity of decision making. Participants rated their pleasure/displeasure while reading item-sentences describing political and social problems followed by different decisions (Questionnaire 1). Questionnaire 2 was multiple-choice, grouping the items from Questionnaire 1. In Experiment 1, participants answered Questionnaire 2 rapidly or slowly. Both groups selected what they had rated as pleasant, but the 'leisurely' group maximized pleasure less. In Experiment 2, participants selected the most rational responses. The selected behaviors were pleasant but less than spontaneous behaviors. In Experiment 3, Questionnaire 2 was presented once with items grouped by theme, and once with items shuffled. Participants maximized the pleasure of their decisions, but the items selected on Questionnaires 2 were different when presented in different order. All groups maximized pleasure equally in their decisions. These results support that decisions are made predominantly in the hedonic dimension of consciousness. PMID:17848195

  8. Expectancies, socioeconomic status, and self-rated health: use of the simplified TOMCATS Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Odéen, Magnus; Westerlund, Hugo; Theorell, Töres; Leineweber, Constanze; Eriksen, Hege R; Ursin, Holger

    2013-06-01

    Coping has traditionally been measured with inventories containing many items meant to identify specific coping strategies. An alternative is to develop a shorter inventory that focusses on coping expectancies which may determine the extent to which an individual attempts to cope actively. This paper explores the usefulness and validity of a simplified seven-item questionnaire (Theoretically Originated Measure of the Cognitive Activation Theory of Stress, TOMCATS) for response outcome expectancies defined either as positive ("coping"), negative ("hopelessness"), or none ("helplessness"). The definitions are based on the Cognitive Activation Theory of Stress (CATS; Ursin and Eriksen, Psychoneuroendocrinology, 29(5):567–92, 2004). The questionnaire was tested in two different samples. First, the questionnaire was compared with a traditional test of coping and then tested for validity in relation to socioeconomic differences in self-reported health. The first study was a comparison of the brief TOMCATS with a short version of the Utrecht Coping List (UCL; Eriksen et al., Scand J Psychol, 38(3):175–82, 1997). Both questionnaires were tested in a population of 1,704 Norwegian municipality workers. The second study was a cross-sectional analysis of TOMCATS, subjective and objective socioeconomic status, and health in a representative sample of the Swedish working population in 2003–2005 (N = 11,441). In the first study, the coping item in the TOMCATS questionnaire showed an expected significant positive correlation with the UCL factors of instrumental mastery-oriented coping and negative correlations with passive and depressive scores. There were also the expected correlations for the helplessness and hopelessness scores, but there was no clear distinction between helplessness and hopelessness in the way they correlated with the UCL. In the second study, the coping item in TOMCATS and the three-item helplessness scores showed clear and monotonous gradients over a subjective socioeconomic status (SES) ladder. Positive response outcome expectancy ("coping") was related to high subjective SES and no expectancy ("helplessness") to low subjective SES. In a model including age and sex, TOMCATS scores explained more variance (r 2 = 0.16) in self-reported health than both subjective (r 2 = 0.08) and objective SES (r 2 = 0.02). The brief TOMCATS questionnaire showed acceptable and significant correlations with a traditional coping questionnaire and is sensitive enough to register systematic differences in response outcome expectancies across the socioeconomic ladder. The results furthermore confirm that psychological and learning factors contribute to the socioeconomic gradient in health.

  9. Development of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer quality of life questionnaire module for older people with cancer: The EORTC QLQ-ELD15.

    PubMed

    Johnson, Colin; Fitzsimmons, Deborah; Gilbert, Jacqueline; Arrarras, Juan-Ignacio; Hammerlid, Eva; Bredart, Anne; Ozmen, Mahir; Dilektasli, Evren; Coolbrandt, Anne; Kenis, Cindy; Young, Teresa; Chow, Edward; Venkitaraman, Ramachandran; Howse, Frances; George, Steve; O'Connor, Steve; Yadegarfar, Ghasem

    2010-08-01

    There is a lack of instruments that focus on the specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) issues that affect older people with cancer. The aim of this study was to develop a HRQOL questionnaire module to supplement the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) core questionnaire, the EORTC QLQ-C30 for older (>70years) patients with cancer. Phases 1-3 were conducted in seven countries following modified EORTC Quality of Life Group guidelines for module development. Phase 1: potentially relevant issues were identified by a systematic literature review, a questionnaire survey of 17 multi-disciplinary health professionals and two rounds of qualitative interviews. The first round included 9 patients aged >70. The second round was a comparative series of interviews with 49 patients >70years with a range of cancer diagnoses and 40 patients aged 50-69years matched for gender and disease site. In Phase 2 the issues were formulated into a long provisional item list. This was administered in Phase 3 together with the QLQ-C30 to two further groups of cancer patients aged >70 (n=97) or 50-69years (n=85) to determine the importance, relevance and acceptability of each item. Redundant and duplicate items were removed; issues specific to the older group were selected for the final questionnaire. In Phase 1, 75 issues were identified. These were reduced in Phase 2 to create a 45 item provisional list. Phase 3 testing of the provisional list led to the selection of 15 items with good range of response, high scores of importance and relevance in the older patients. This resulted in the EORTC QLQ-ELD15, containing five conceptually coherent scales (functional independence, relationships with family and friends, worries about the future, autonomy and burden of illness). The EORTC QLQ-ELD15 in combination with the EORTC QLQ-C30 is ready for large-scale validation studies, and will assess HRQOL issues of most relevance and concern for older people with cancer across a wide range of cancer sites and treatment stages. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Athletes' assessment of the coach--the coach evaluation questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Rushall, B S; Wiznuk, K

    1985-09-01

    The purpose of this study was to provide an assessment tool to judge coaching performance that was appropriate for completion by athletes. The questionnaire underwent a variety of developmental stages. In its final form, it contained 36 items. The tool was shown to be a valid, reliable, and standardized questionnaire. It demonstrated discriminability and provoked honest, accurate responding in subjects. The test was capable of providing immediate feedback to coaches seeking information about athletes' perceptions of their coaching performance. Responses on the developed scale were weighted to reflect the desirability of the coaching characteristics of a good coach. The questionnaire provides a total score which can be interpreted by the coach as a measure of how much of an "ideal" coach exists in him/her.

  11. The Impact of Television on Public Environmental Knowledge Concerning the Great Lakes.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brothers, Christine C.

    The purpose of this study was to collect baseline information about public knowledge of and opinions toward the Great Lakes and to measure the impact of a television news program in educating adults about the Great Lakes. Survey questionnaires containing multiple-choice knowledge items and Likert scale opinion statements were completed by 570…

  12. Assessing Manual and Online Course Registration in Nigeria Tertiary Institutions

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Oladunjoye, Patrick; Omemu, Felix

    2013-01-01

    The study is aimed at assessing the perceptions of male and female students on manual and online course registration systems in tertiary institutions in Nigeria. One research question was formulated to guide the study. A questionnaire containing 20 items on assessing the perceptions of students on manual and online course registration was drawn.…

  13. Teacher Morale in the Atlanta Public Schools: Spring 1990. Report No. 4, Volume 25, 11/91.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Fraser, Lowrie A.

    A study was done of Atlanta (Georgia) public school teacher morale in May of 1990. About 40 percent of the teaching staff (1,520 teachers) voluntarily completed a 91-item questionnaire that contained subsets of questions from the Maslach Burnout Inventory and three subscales of emotional exhaustion, departmentalization, and personal…

  14. A new informant-based questionnaire for instrumental activities of daily living in dementia.

    PubMed

    Sikkes, Sietske A M; de Lange-de Klerk, Elly S M; Pijnenburg, Yolande A L; Gillissen, Freek; Romkes, Rolinka; Knol, Dirk L; Uitdehaag, Bernard M J; Scheltens, Philip

    2012-11-01

    Interference in everyday functioning is part of the diagnostic criteria for dementia. Questionnaires measuring "instrumental activities of daily living" (IADL) are used to measure this interference, but the psychometric quality of these questionnaires is often questioned. In addition, these questionnaires are less suited for early-onset patients. This is problematic, given the high frequency of relatively young patients in memory clinics. In this article, we describe the development and psychometric properties of a new informant-based IADL questionnaire aimed at detecting incipient dementia and appropriate for a broad age range. We defined IADL in consensus with experts and constructed items based on existing items and suggestions from experts and informants. Informants of subjects (n = 206) who visited the Alzheimer Center of the VU University Medical Center completed the questionnaire. Factor structure was investigated using classical exploratory factor analysis and item response theory. We assessed test-retest reliability in 73 informants using weighted κ values. The questionnaire consisted of 75 items and was computerized to enhance ease of administration. Exploratory factor analysis supported a single-factor model, with 48.3% of the variance being explained by the first factor. We removed five items, as they did not fit the model. High internal consistency was demonstrated. Test-retest reliability showed that the majority of items (87.9%) had substantial-to-almost perfect κ values. The Amsterdam IADL Questionnaire (Amsterdam IADL questionnaire is a registered trademark of Alzheimer Center VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands) is a 70-item informant-based computerized questionnaire aimed at detecting early dementia and early-onset dementia. Initial results show that this questionnaire is a promising new tool. Copyright © 2012 The Alzheimer's Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Screening for depression in arthritis populations: an assessment of differential item functioning in three self-reported questionnaires.

    PubMed

    Hu, Jinxiang; Ward, Michael M

    2017-09-01

    To determine if persons with arthritis differ systematically from persons without arthritis in how they respond to questions on three depression questionnaires, which include somatic items such as fatigue and sleep disturbance. We extracted data on the Centers for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale, the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and the Kessler-6 (K-6) scale from three large population-based national surveys. We assessed items on these questionnaires for differential item functioning (DIF) between persons with and without self-reported physician-diagnosed arthritis using multiple indicator multiple cause models, which controlled for the underlying level of depression and important confounders. We also examined if DIF by arthritis status was similar between women and men. Although five items of the CES-D, one item of the PHQ-9, and five items of the K-6 scale had evidence of DIF based on statistical comparisons, the magnitude of each difference was less than the threshold of a small effect. The statistical differences were a function of the very large sample sizes in the surveys. Effect sizes for DIF were similar between women and men except for two items on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. For each questionnaire, DIF accounted for 8% or less of the arthritis-depression association, and excluding items with DIF did not reduce the difference in depression scores between those with and without arthritis. Persons with arthritis respond to items on the CES-D, PHQ-9, and K-6 depression scales similarly to persons without arthritis, despite the inclusion of somatic items in these scales.

  16. Rasch Analysis of the Power as Knowing Participation in Change Tool--the Brazilian version.

    PubMed

    Guedes, Erika de Souza; Orozco-Vargas, Luiz Carlos; Turrini, Ruth Natália Teresa; de Sousa, Regina Márcia Cardoso; dos Santos, Mariana Alvina; da Cruz, Diná de Almeida Lopes Monteiro

    2013-01-01

    the objective of this study was to evaluate the items contained in the Brazilian version of the Power as Knowing Participation in Change Tool (PKPCT). investigation of the psychometric properties of the mentioned questionnaire through Rasch analysis. the data from 952 nursing assistants and 627 baccalaureate nurses were analyzed (average age 44.1 (SD=9.5); 13.0% men). The subscales Choices, Awareness, Freedom and Involvement were tested separately and presented unidimensionality; the categories of the responses given to the items were compiled from 7 to 3 levels and the items fit the model well, except for the following/leading item, in which the infit and outfit values were above 1.4; this item has also presented Differential Item Functioning (DIF) according to the participant's role. The reliability of the items was of 0.99 and the reliability of the participants ranged from 0.80 to 0.84 in the subscales. Items with extremely high levels of difficulty were not identified. the PKPCT should not be viewed as unidimensional, items with extremely high levels of difficulty in the scale need to be created and the differential functioning of some items has to be further investigated.

  17. Which kind of psychometrics is adequate for patient satisfaction questionnaires?

    PubMed

    Konerding, Uwe

    2016-01-01

    The construction and psychometric analysis of patient satisfaction questionnaires are discussed. The discussion is based upon the classification of multi-item questionnaires into scales or indices. Scales consist of items that describe the effects of the latent psychological variable to be measured, and indices consist of items that describe the causes of this variable. Whether patient satisfaction questionnaires should be constructed and analyzed as scales or as indices depends upon the purpose for which these questionnaires are required. If the final aim is improving care with regard to patients' preferences, then these questionnaires should be constructed and analyzed as indices. This implies two requirements: 1) items for patient satisfaction questionnaires should be selected in such a way that the universe of possible causes of patient satisfaction is covered optimally and 2) Cronbach's alpha, principal component analysis, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and analyses with models from item response theory, such as the Rasch Model, should not be applied for psychometric analyses. Instead, multivariate regression analyses with a direct rating of patient satisfaction as the dependent variable and the individual questionnaire items as independent variables should be performed. The coefficients produced by such an analysis can be applied for selecting the best items and for weighting the selected items when a sum score is determined. The lower boundaries of the validity of the unweighted and the weighted sum scores can be estimated by their correlations with the direct satisfaction rating. While the first requirement is fulfilled in the majority of the previous patient satisfaction questionnaires, the second one deviates from previous practice. Hence, if patient satisfaction is actually measured with the final aim of improving care with regard to patients' preferences, then future practice should be changed so that the second requirement is also fulfilled.

  18. Comparison of a short version of the Food Frequency Questionnaire with its long version--a cross-sectional analysis in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil).

    PubMed

    Mannato, Livia Welter; Pereira, Taisa Sabrina Silva; Velasquez-Melendez, Gustavo; Cardoso, Letícia de Oliveira; Benseñor, Isabela Martins; Molina, Maria del Carmen Bisi

    2015-01-01

    The food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) is the preferred instrument for obtaining dietary information in epidemiological studies. A short form of the FFQ was compared with the original version that was used in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil), and also with three 24-hour dietary recalls. Cross-sectional study carried out in six Brazilian state capitals. Multiple linear regression was used to reduce the original food and drink list of the FFQ, which had contained 114 food items. The frequency of consumption and nutritional composition of the foods were also taken into consideration. To assess the validity of the shortened FFQ, the energy and nutrients values of the 24-hour dietary recalls were deattenuated and log-transformed. The list of the FFQ of ELSA-Brasil was reduced to 76 food items. The intraclass correlation coefficients in the validation study ranged from 0.17 (selenium) to 0.66 (calcium). The number of items was reduced by 33%, while still maintaining relatively good capacity to measure energy and selected nutrients.

  19. A Mokken analysis of the literacy in musculoskeletal problems questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Vaughan, Brett; Mulcahy, Jane; Coffey, Amy; Addinsall, Laura; Ryan, Stephanie; Fitzgerald, Kylie

    2017-12-21

    Limited health literacy is known to impact on medication adherence, hospital readmission and potentially poorer health outcomes. The literature on the health literacy of those with musculoskeletal conditions suggests greater functional limitations and increased pain levels. There are a number of measures of health literacy. One that specifically relates to musculoskeletal complaints is the Literacy in Musculoskeletal Problems (LiMP) questionnaire. The LiMP contains 9 multiple choice items that cover anatomy, musculoskeletal conditions and the diagnosis of musculoskeletal complaints. The aim of the study was to evaluate the dimensionality and internal structure of the LiMP in patients attending for osteopathy care at a student-led clinic, as a potential measure of musculoskeletal health literacy. Three hundred and sixty-one (n = 361) new patients attending the Victoria University Osteopathy Clinic completed the LiMP and a demographic and health information questionnaire prior to their initial consultation. Mokken scale analysis, a nonparametric item response theory approach, was used to evaluate the dimensionality and structure of the LiMP in this population, to ascertain whether the questionnaire was measuring a single latent construct - musculoskeletal health literacy. McDonald's omega and Cronbach's alpha were calculated as the reliability estimations. The relationship between the LiMP and a single item screen of health literacy was also undertaken. The 9 items on the LiMP did not form a Mokken scale and the reliability estimations were below an acceptable level (alpha and omega <0.45). LiMP items 5 and 8 were more likely to be answered correctly by those with higher health literacy (p < 0.05), however the effect sizes were small (<0.20). Calculation of a total score for the LiMP, as advocated by the original authors, is not supported based on data in the present study. Further research is required to explore the relationship of the LiMP items to demographic and clinical data, and to other broader measures of health literacy. Further research may also develop a health literacy measure that is specific to patients seeking manual therapy care for musculoskeletal complaints.

  20. The three-factor model of Internet addiction: the development of the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Demetrovics, Zsolt; Szeredi, Beatrix; Rózsa, Sándor

    2008-05-01

    Despite the fact that more and more clinical case studies and research reports have been published on the increasing problem of Internet addiction, no generally accepted standardized tool is available to measure problematic Internet use or Internet addiction. The aim of our study was to create such a questionnaire. On the basis of earlier studies and our previous experience withYoung's (1998a) Internet Addiction Test, initially, we created a 30-item questionnaire, which was assessed together with other questions regarding participants' Internet use. Data were collected online from 1,037 persons (54.1% of them male; mean age, 23.3 years; SD, 9.1). As a result of reliability analysis and factor analysis, we reduced the number of items to 18 and created the Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire (PIUQ) containing three subscales: obsession, neglect, and control disorder. Cronbach's alpha of the PIUQ is .87 (Cronbach's alpha of the subscales is .85, .74, and .76, respectively). The test-retest correlation of the PIUQ is .90. The PIUQ proved to be a reliable measurement for assessing the extent of problems caused by the "misuse" of the Internet; however, further analysis is needed.

  1. Prostate Cancer Survivors with Rising PSA and Their Spouses: Treatment Decision Making and Quality of Life

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2009-12-31

    Active Engagement, Protective Buffering, and Overprotection questionnaire and Stephen Lepore’s 15-item Social Constraints Scale have been added to the...questionnaires (the Active Engagement, Protective Buffering, and Overprotection questionnaire and Stephen Lepore’s 15- item Social Constraints Scale) is still...this end we included the Active Engagement, Protective Buffering and Overprotection questionnaire and Stephen Lepore’s 15-item Social Constraints

  2. Evaluation of complementary-alternative medicine (CAM) questionnaire development for Indonesian clinical psychologists: A pilot study.

    PubMed

    Liem, Andrian; Newcombe, Peter A; Pohlman, Annie

    2017-08-01

    This study aimed to evaluate questionnaire development to measure the knowledge of Complementary-Alternative Medicine (CAM), attitudes towards CAM, CAM experiences, and CAM educational needs of clinical psychologists in Indonesia. A 26-item questionnaire was developed through an extensive literature search. Data was obtained from provisional psychologists from the Master of Professional Clinical Psychology programs at two established public universities in urban areas of Indonesia. To validate the questionnaire, panel reviews by executive members of the Indonesian Clinical Psychology Association (ICPA), experts in health psychology, and experts in public health and CAM provided their professional judgements. The self-reporting questionnaire consisted of four scales including: knowledge of CAM (6 items), attitudes towards CAM (10 items), CAM experiences (4 items), and CAM educational needs (6 items). All scales, except CAM Experiences, were assessed on a 7-point Likert scale. Sixty provisional psychologists were eligible to complete the questionnaire with a response rate of 73% (N=44). The results showed that the CAM questionnaire was reliable (Cronbach's coefficient alpha range=0.62-0.96; item-total correlation range=0.14-0.92) and demonstrated content validity. Following further psychometric evaluation, the CAM questionnaire may provide the evidence-based information to inform the education and practice of Indonesian clinical psychologists. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. A Comparison of Item-Level and Scale-Level Multiple Imputation for Questionnaire Batteries

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gottschall, Amanda C.; West, Stephen G.; Enders, Craig K.

    2012-01-01

    Behavioral science researchers routinely use scale scores that sum or average a set of questionnaire items to address their substantive questions. A researcher applying multiple imputation to incomplete questionnaire data can either impute the incomplete items prior to computing scale scores or impute the scale scores directly from other scale…

  4. Developing a Questionnaire to Evaluate College Students' Knowledge, Attitude, Behavior, Self-efficacy, and Environmental Factors Related to Canned Foods.

    PubMed

    Richards, Rickelle; Brown, Lora Beth; Williams, D Pauline; Eggett, Dennis L

    2017-02-01

    Develop a questionnaire to measure students' knowledge, attitude, behavior, self-efficacy, and environmental factors related to the use of canned foods. The Knowledge-Attitude-Behavior Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and Canned Foods Alliance survey were used as frameworks for questionnaire development. Cognitive interviews were conducted with college students (n = 8). Nutrition and survey experts assessed content validity. Reliability was measured via Cronbach α and 2 rounds (1, n = 81; 2, n = 65) of test-retest statistics. Means and frequencies were used. The 65-item questionnaire had a test-retest reliability of .69. Cronbach α scores were .87 for knowledge (9 items), .86 for attitude (30 items), .80 for self-efficacy (12 items), .68 for canned foods use (8 items), and .30 for environment (6 items). A reliable questionnaire was developed to measure perceptions and use of canned foods. Nutrition educators may find this questionnaire useful to evaluate pretest-posttest changes from canned foods-based interventions among college students. Copyright © 2016 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. [Gender-determinant factors in contraception: design and validation of a questionnaire].

    PubMed

    Yago Simón, Teresa; Tomás Aznar, Concepción

    2013-10-01

    To design and validate a questionnaire for young women on gender-determinant factors in contraception. A questionnaire was developed from conversations with young women attending contraception clinic in the Health Promotion Municpal Centre, Zaragoza. A total of 200 young women between the ages of 13 and 24 self-completed the questionnaire, with only one no response. Several items were analysed: reliability, using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, and construct validity by analysis of the main components with eigenvalues above 1, and Quartimax rotation with Kaiser normalisation. The questionnaire contained 36 items and took 10minutes to self-complete. There was good internal consistency, with a Cronbach's alpha 0,853. Twelve factors were established with an explanation of 61.42% variance, and three descriptive lines: relationship dimension («submissive attitude», «blind attitude», «let go due to affection», «dominant partner»), gender identity («maternity as identity», «non-idealised maternity», «traditional role», «insecurity», «shame») and caring. This questionnaire enabled gender determinant-factors that take part in contraception to be identified, and will be useful to find out how the different ways of relating between the sexes influence the problems of sexual and reproductive health in young women in our environment. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

  6. Comparison of scales for evaluating premenstrual symptoms in women using oral contraceptives.

    PubMed

    Coffee, Andrea L; Kuehl, Thomas J; Sulak, Patricia J

    2008-05-01

    To compare two scales used in research to evaluate daily premenstrual mood symptoms during use of a monophasic oral contraceptive. Subanalysis of data from a prospective study. University-affiliated medical center. SUBJECTS; One hundred two reproductive-aged (18-48 yrs) women taking a monophasic oral contraceptive containing ethinyl estradiol and drospirenone in the standard 21-7 fashion (21 days of hormones followed by 7 days of placebo), and who had self-identified premenstrual symptoms of headache, mood changes, or pelvic pain. Subjects completed a single-item questionnaire, the Scott & White Daily Diary of Symptoms, and a multiple-item questionnaire, the Penn State Daily Symptom Report (DSR), to assess their premenstrual symptoms. The Scott & White diary used a visual analog scale of 0-10 to assess pelvic pain, headache, and mood (a composite of anxiety, depression, and irritability). The Penn State DSR contained 17 items: 10 behavioral and seven physical components, each rated on a scale of 0-4, with one item that specifically rated mood swings. Scores from the two scales were compared by using Spearman correlation coefficients, the Kendall W for concordance, and linear regression of ranked sums for study cycles. The Scott & White mood score significantly correlated with the total of the 17 items on the Penn State DSR, as well as the 10 behavioral items, the seven physical items, and the single mood-swing item (p<0.0001); specific coefficients of concordance were 0.44, 0.23, 0.10, and 0.28, respectively, and R2 values were 0.39, 0.39, 0.30, and 0.34, respectively. The daily Scott & White mood score was positively correlated with all 17 elements of the Penn State DSR (0.25-0.57). The greatest correlation was seen with the mood-swing element. Both instruments demonstrated the same patterns during the 21-7 oral contraceptive cycle, with symptoms increasing immediately before and peaking during the 7-day hormone-free interval. A single-item daily mood score using a rating scale of 0-10 was concordant with a relatively complex 17-element symptom index and demonstrated the same pattern of change during cycles of oral contraception. The simple scoring system offers an advantage, especially in clinical studies of long duration.

  7. Association between Phthalate Exposure and the Use of Plastic Containers in Shanghai Adults.

    PubMed

    Dong, Rui Hua; Zhang, Han; Zhang, Mei Ru; Chen, Jing Si; Wu, Min; Li, Shu Guang; Chen, Bo

    2017-10-01

    Consuming phthalates may be due to the presence of food contact materials, such as plastic containers. In this study, we investigated the association between plastic container use and phthalate exposure in 2,140 Shanghai adults. Participants completed a questionnaire on the frequency of using plastic containers in different scenarios in the previous year (e.g., daily, weekly) and on the consumption of plastic-packaged foods in the previous three days (yes or no). Urinary phthalate metabolites were used to assess the association between phthalate exposure and the use of plastic containers. The metabolites of di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) were the most frequently detected in urine. The results revealed that phthalate exposure was associated with consumption of plastic-packaged breakfast or processed food items in the previous three days. The consumption of these two food items had strong synergistic effects on increasing urinary concentrations of most phthalate metabolites. Our results of plastic-packaged breakfast and processed food may be explained by the use of flexible plastic containers, indicating the importance of risk assessment for the application of flexible plastic containers. Copyright © 2017 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.

  8. Instrument validation process: a case study using the Paediatric Pain Knowledge and Attitudes Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Peirce, Deborah; Brown, Janie; Corkish, Victoria; Lane, Marguerite; Wilson, Sally

    2016-06-01

    To compare two methods of calculating interrater agreement while determining content validity of the Paediatric Pain Knowledge and Attitudes Questionnaire for use with Australian nurses. Paediatric pain assessment and management documentation was found to be suboptimal revealing a need to assess paediatric nurses' knowledge and attitude to pain. The Paediatric Pain Knowledge and Attitudes Questionnaire was selected as it had been reported as valid and reliable in the United Kingdom with student nurses. The questionnaire required content validity determination prior to use in the Australian context. A two phase process of expert review. Ten paediatric nurses completed a relevancy rating of all 68 questionnaire items. In phase two, five pain experts reviewed the items of the questionnaire that scored an unacceptable item level content validity. Item and scale level content validity indices and intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated. In phase one, 31 items received an item level content validity index <0·78 and the scale level content validity index average was 0·80 which were below levels required for acceptable validity. The intraclass correlation coefficient was 0·47. In phase two, 10 items were amended and four items deleted. The revised questionnaire provided a scale level content validity index average >0·90 and an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0·94 demonstrating excellent agreement between raters therefore acceptable content validity. Equivalent outcomes were achieved using the content validity index and the intraclass correlation coefficient. To assess content validity the content validity index has the advantage of providing an item level score and is a simple calculation. The intraclass correlation coefficient requires statistical knowledge, or support, and has the advantage of accounting for the possibility of chance agreement. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Multinational development of a questionnaire assessing patient satisfaction with anticoagulant treatment: the 'Perception of Anticoagulant Treatment Questionnaire' (PACT-Q©)

    PubMed Central

    Prins, Martin H; Marrel, Alexia; Carita, Paulo; Anderson, David; Bousser, Marie-Germaine; Crijns, Harry; Consoli, Silla; Arnould, Benoit

    2009-01-01

    Background The side effects and burden of anticoagulant treatments may contribute to poor compliance and consequently to treatment failure. A specific questionnaire is necessary to assess patients' needs and their perceptions of anticoagulant treatment. Methods A conceptual model of expectation and satisfaction with anticoagulant treatment was designed by an advisory board and used to guide patient (n = 31) and clinician (n = 17) interviews in French, US English and Dutch. Patients had either atrial fibrillation (AF), deep venous thrombosis (DVT), or pulmonary embolism (PE). Following interviews, three PACT-Q language versions were developed simultaneously and further pilot-tested by 19 patients. Linguistic validations were performed for additional language versions. Results Initial concepts were developed to cover three areas of interest: 'Treatment', 'Disease and Complications' and 'Information about disease and anticoagulant treatment'. After clinician and patient interviews, concepts were further refined into four domains and 17 concepts; test versions of the PACT-Q were then created simultaneously in three languages, each containing 27 items grouped into four domains: "Treatment Expectations" (7 items), "Convenience" (11 items), "Burden of Disease and Treatment" (2 items) and "Anticoagulant Treatment Satisfaction" (7 items). No item was deleted or added after pilot testing as patients found the PACT-Q easy to understand and appropriate in length in all languages. The PACT-Q was divided into two parts: the first part to measure the expectations and the second to measure the convenience, burden and treatment satisfaction, for evaluation prior to and after anticoagulant treatment, respectively. Eleven additional language versions were linguistically validated. Conclusion The PACT-Q has been rigorously developed and linguistically validated. It is available in 14 languages for use with thromboembolic patients, including AF, PE and DVT patients. Its validation and psychometric properties have been tested and are presented in a separate manuscript. PMID:19196486

  10. The family experiences of in-hospital care questionnaire in severe traumatic brain injury (FECQ-TBI): a validation study.

    PubMed

    Anke, Audny; Manskow, Unn Sollid; Friborg, Oddgeir; Røe, Cecilie; Arntzen, Cathrine

    2016-11-28

    Family members are important for support and care of their close relative after severe traumas, and their experiences are vital health care quality indicators. The objective was to describe the development of the Family Experiences of in-hospital Care Questionnaire for family members of patients with severe Traumatic Brain Injury (FECQ-TBI), and to evaluate its psychometric properties and validity. The design of the study is a Norwegian multicentre study inviting 171 family members. The questionnaire developmental process included a literature review, use of an existing instrument (the parent experience of paediatric care questionnaire), focus group with close family members, as well as expert group judgments. Items asking for family care experiences related to acute wards and rehabilitation were included. Several items of the paediatric care questionnaire were removed or the wording of the items was changed to comply with the present purpose. Questions covering experiences with the inpatient rehabilitation period, the discharge phase, the family experiences with hospital facilities, the transfer between departments and the economic needs of the family were added. The developed questionnaire was mailed to the participants. Exploratory factor analyses were used to examine scale structure, in addition to screening for data quality, and analyses of internal consistency and validity. The questionnaire was returned by 122 (71%) of family members. Principal component analysis extracted six dimensions (eigenvalues > 1.0): acute organization and information (10 items), rehabilitation organization (13 items), rehabilitation information (6 items), discharge (4 items), hospital facilities-patients (4 items) and hospital facilities-family (2 items). Items related to the acute phase were comparable to items in the two dimensions of rehabilitation: organization and information. All six subscales had high Cronbach's alpha coefficients >0.80. The construct validity was confirmed. The FECQ-TBI assesses important aspects of in-hospital care in the acute and rehabilitation phases, as seen from a family perspective. The psychometric properties and the construct validity of the questionnaire were good, hence supporting the use of the FECQ-TBI to assess quality of care in rehabilitation departments.

  11. [Development of knowledge, attitude and practice questionnaire on prevention and control of occupational diseases].

    PubMed

    Gao, Yuan; Feng, Yuchao; Wang, Min; Su, Yiwei; Li, Yanhua; Wang, Zhi; Tang, Shihao

    2015-04-01

    To develop the knowledge, attitude and practice questionnaire on the prevention and control of occupational diseases for occupational groups, and to provide a convenient and effective tool for the survey of knowledge, attitude, and behavior on the prevention and control of occupational diseases in occupational groups and the evaluation of intervention effect. The initial questionnaire which was evaluated by the experts was used to carry out a pre-survey in Guangzhou, China. The survey results were statistically analyzed by t test, identification index method, correlation analysis, and Cronbach's a coefficient method. And then the questionnaire was further modified, and the content of the questionnaire was determined finally. After modification, there were 18 items on knowledge, 16 items on attitude, and 12 items on behavior in the "Knowledge, attitude and practice questionnaire on the prevention and control of occupational diseases for enterprise managers"; there were 19 items on knowledge, 10 items on attitude, and 11 items on behavior in the "Knowledge, attitude and practice questionnaire on the prevention and control of occupational diseases for workers". The knowledge, attitude and practice questionnaire on the prevention and control of occupational diseases for occupational groups is developed successfully, and it is a convenient and effective tool for the survey of knowledge, attitude, and behavior on the prevention and control of occupational diseases in occupational groups and the evaluation of intervention effect.

  12. Developing a typology for understanding VFR as a primary purpose vs. VFR as a type of accommodation

    Treesearch

    Lori Pennington-Gray; Charles W. Lane; Andrew Holdnak

    2003-01-01

    This study examined VFR travelers in relation to their behaviors. Data were collected at fourteen sites Alachua County, Florida in 2001. Some of the sites included: hotels, local attractions and special events. A fixed choice questionnaire contained items asking about mode of transportation, demographic characteristics, number of people in the travel party, number of...

  13. Pathology resident attitudes and opinions about pathologists' assistants.

    PubMed

    Grzybicki, Dana Marie; Vrbin, Colleen M

    2003-06-01

    Changes in health care economics and organization have resulted in increased use of nonphysician providers in most health care settings. Attitudinal acceptance of nonphysician providers is important in the current health care environment. To obtain descriptive information regarding pathology resident attitudes and opinions about pathologists' assistants in anatomic pathology practice and to assess the implications of resident attitudes and opinions for pathology practice and training. A self-administered, mailed, voluntary, anonymous questionnaire was distributed to a cross-sectional sample of pathology residents in the United States (2531 pathology residents registered as resident members of one of the national pathology professional organizations). The questionnaire contained (1) items relating to resident demographics and program characteristics, (2) Likert-scale response items containing positive and negative statements about pathologists' assistants, (3) a multiple-choice item related to pathologists' assistants scope of practice, and (4) an open-ended item inviting additional comments. Both quantitative and qualitative analysis of responses was performed. The overall response rate was 19.4% (n = 490); 50% of the respondents were women, and 77% reported use of pathologists' assistants in their program. Most respondents were 25 to 35 years old and in postgraduate years 3 through 5 of their training, and most were located in the Midwestern United States. The majority of residents expressed overall positive attitudes and opinions about pathologists' assistants and felt that pathologists' assistants enhanced resident training by optimizing resident workload. A minority (10%-20%) of residents expressed negative attitudes or opinions about pathologists' assistants. Additionally, some residents reported a lack of knowledge about pathologists' assistants' training or roles. Increased resident education and open discussion concerning pathologists' assistants may be beneficial for optimizing resident attitudes about and training experiences with pathologists' assistants.

  14. Development of estimates of dietary nitrates, nitrites, and nitrosamines for use with the short willet food frequency questionnaire

    PubMed Central

    Griesenbeck, John S; Steck, Michelle D; Huber, John C; Sharkey, Joseph R; Rene, Antonio A; Brender, Jean D

    2009-01-01

    Background Studies have suggested that nitrates, nitrites, and nitrosamines have an etiologic role in adverse pregnancy outcomes and chronic diseases such as cancer. Although an extensive body of literature exists on estimates of these compounds in foods, the extant data varies in quality, quantified estimates, and relevance. Methods We developed estimates of nitrates, nitrites, and nitrosamines for food items listed in the Short Willet Food Frequency Questionnaire (WFFQ) as adapted for use in the National Birth Defects Prevention Study. Multiple reference databases were searched for published literature reflecting nitrate, nitrite, and nitrosamine values in foods. Relevant published literature was reviewed; only publications reporting results for items listed on the WFFQ were selected for inclusion. The references selected were prioritized according to relevance to the U.S. population. Results Based on our estimates, vegetable products contain the highest levels of nitrate, contributing as much as 189 mg/serving. Meat and bean products contain the highest levels of nitrites with values up to 1.84 mg/serving. Alcohol, meat and dairy products contain the highest values of nitrosamines with a maximum value of 0.531 μg/serving. The estimates of dietary nitrates, nitrites, and nitrosamines generated in this study are based on the published values currently available. Conclusion To our knowledge, these are the only estimates specifically designed for use with the adapted WFFQ and generated to represent food items available to the U.S. population. The estimates provided may be useful in other research studies, specifically in those exploring the relation between exposure to these compounds in foods and adverse health outcomes. PMID:19348679

  15. Rasch analysis and impact factor methods both yield valid and comparable measures of health status in interstitial lung disease.

    PubMed

    Patel, Amit S; Siegert, Richard J; Bajwah, Sabrina; Brignall, Kate; Gosker, Harry R; Moxham, John; Maher, Toby M; Renzoni, Elisabetta A; Wells, Athol U; Higginson, Irene J; Birring, Surinder S

    2015-09-01

    Rasch analysis has largely replaced impact factor methodology for developing health status measures. The aim of this study was to develop a health status questionnaire for patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD) using impact factor methodology and to compare its validity with that of another version developed using Rasch analysis. A preliminary 71-item questionnaire was developed and evaluated in 173 patients with ILD. Items were reduced by the impact factor method (King's Brief ILD questionnaire, KBILD-I) and Rasch analysis (KBILD-R). Both questionnaires were validated by assessing their relationship with forced vital capacity (FVC) and St Georges Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and by evaluating internal reliability, repeatability, and longitudinal responsiveness. The KBILD-R and KBILD-I comprised 15 items each. The content of eight items differed between the KBILD-R and KBILD-I. Internal and test-retest reliability was good for total scores of both questionnaires. There was a good relationship with SGRQ and moderate relationship with FVC for both questionnaires. Effect sizes were comparable. Both questionnaires discriminated patients with differing disease severity. Despite considerable differences in the content of retained items, both KBILD-R and KBILD-I questionnaires demonstrated acceptable measurement properties and performed comparably in a clinical setting. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  16. Development of a short version of the new brief job stress questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Inoue, Akiomi; Kawakami, Norito; Shimomitsu, Teruichi; Tsutsumi, Akizumi; Haratani, Takashi; Yoshikawa, Toru; Shimazu, Akihito; Odagiri, Yuko

    2014-01-01

    This study was aimed to investigate the test-retest reliability and validity of a short version of the New Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (New BJSQ) whose scales have one item selected from a standard version. Based on the results from an anonymous web-based questionnaire of occupational health staffs and personnel/labor staffs, we selected higher-priority scales from the standard version. After selecting one item with highest item-total correlation coefficient from each scale, a 23-item questionnaire was developed. A nationally representative survey was administered to Japanese employees (n=1,633) to examine test-retest reliability and validity. Most scales (or items) showed modest but adequate levels of test-retest reliability (r>0.50). Furthermore, job demands and job resources scales (or items) were associated with mental and physical stress reactions while job resources scales (or items) were also associated with positive outcomes. These findings provided a piece of evidence that the short version of the New BJSQ is reliable and valid.

  17. Development of a Short Version of the New Brief Job Stress Questionnaire

    PubMed Central

    INOUE, Akiomi; KAWAKAMI, Norito; SHIMOMITSU, Teruichi; TSUTSUMI, Akizumi; HARATANI, Takashi; YOSHIKAWA, Toru; SHIMAZU, Akihito; ODAGIRI, Yuko

    2014-01-01

    This study was aimed to investigate the test-retest reliability and validity of a short version of the New Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (New BJSQ) whose scales have one item selected from a standard version. Based on the results from an anonymous web-based questionnaire of occupational health staffs and personnel/labor staffs, we selected higher-priority scales from the standard version. After selecting one item with highest item-total correlation coefficient from each scale, a 23-item questionnaire was developed. A nationally representative survey was administered to Japanese employees (n=1,633) to examine test-retest reliability and validity. Most scales (or items) showed modest but adequate levels of test-retest reliability (r>0.50). Furthermore, job demands and job resources scales (or items) were associated with mental and physical stress reactions while job resources scales (or items) were also associated with positive outcomes. These findings provided a piece of evidence that the short version of the New BJSQ is reliable and valid. PMID:24975108

  18. Development and validation of the Perceived Food Environment Questionnaire in a French-Canadian population.

    PubMed

    Carbonneau, Elise; Robitaille, Julie; Lamarche, Benoît; Corneau, Louise; Lemieux, Simone

    2017-08-01

    The present study aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire assessing perceived food environment in a French-Canadian population. A questionnaire, the Perceived Food Environment Questionnaire, was developed assessing perceived accessibility to healthy (nine items) and unhealthy foods (three items). A pre-test sample was recruited for a pilot testing of the questionnaire. For the validation study, another sample was recruited and completed the questionnaire twice. Exploratory factor analysis was performed on the items to assess the number of factors (subscales). Cronbach's α was used to measure internal consistency reliability. Test-retest reliability was assessed with Pearson correlations. Online survey. Men and women from the Québec City area (n 31 in the pre-test sample; n 150 in the validation study sample). The pilot testing did not lead to any change in the questionnaire. The exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-subscale structure. The first subscale is composed of six items assessing accessibility to healthy foods and the second includes three items related to accessibility to unhealthy foods. Three items were removed from the questionnaire due to low loading on the two subscales. The subscales demonstrated adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0·77 for healthy foods and 0·62 for unhealthy foods) and test-retest reliability (r=0·59 and 0·60, respectively; both P<0·0001). The Perceived Food Environment Questionnaire was developed for a French-Canadian population and demonstrated good psychometric properties. Further validation is recommended if the questionnaire is to be used in other populations.

  19. Affective Outcomes of Schooling: Full-Information Item Factor Analysis of a Student Questionnaire.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Muraki, Eiji; Engelhard, George, Jr.

    Recent developments in dichotomous factor analysis based on multidimensional item response models (Bock and Aitkin, 1981; Muthen, 1978) provide an effective method for exploring the dimensionality of questionnaire items. Implemented in the TESTFACT program, this "full information" item factor analysis accounts not only for the pairwise joint…

  20. Three nested randomized controlled trials of peer-only or multiple stakeholder group feedback within Delphi surveys during core outcome and information set development.

    PubMed

    Brookes, Sara T; Macefield, Rhiannon C; Williamson, Paula R; McNair, Angus G; Potter, Shelley; Blencowe, Natalie S; Strong, Sean; Blazeby, Jane M

    2016-08-17

    Methods for developing a core outcome or information set require involvement of key stakeholders to prioritise many items and achieve agreement as to the core set. The Delphi technique requires participants to rate the importance of items in sequential questionnaires (or rounds) with feedback provided in each subsequent round such that participants are able to consider the views of others. This study examines the impact of receiving feedback from different stakeholder groups, on the subsequent rating of items and the level of agreement between stakeholders. Randomized controlled trials were nested within the development of three core sets each including a Delphi process with two rounds of questionnaires, completed by patients and health professionals. Participants rated items from 1 (not essential) to 9 (absolutely essential). For round 2, participants were randomized to receive feedback from their peer stakeholder group only (peer) or both stakeholder groups separately (multiple). Decisions as to which items to retain following each round were determined by pre-specified criteria. Whilst type of feedback did not impact on the percentage of items for which a participant subsequently changed their rating, or the magnitude of change, it did impact on items retained at the end of round 2. Each core set contained discordant items retained by one feedback group but not the other (3-22 % discordant items). Consensus between patients and professionals in items to retain was greater amongst those receiving multiple group feedback in each core set (65-82 % agreement for peer-only feedback versus 74-94 % for multiple feedback). In addition, differences in round 2 scores were smaller between stakeholder groups receiving multiple feedback than between those receiving peer group feedback only. Variability in item scores across stakeholders was reduced following any feedback but this reduction was consistently greater amongst the multiple feedback group. In the development of a core outcome or information set, providing feedback within Delphi questionnaires from all stakeholder groups separately may influence the final core set and improve consensus between the groups. Further work is needed to better understand how participants rate and re-rate items within a Delphi process. The three randomized controlled trials reported here were each nested within the development of a core information or outcome set to investigate processes in core outcome and information set development. Outcomes were not health-related and therefore trial registration was not applicable.

  1. Development of the young spine questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Lauridsen, Henrik Hein; Hestbaek, Lise

    2013-06-12

    Back pain in children is common and early onset of back pain has been shown to increase the risk of back pain significantly in adulthood. Consequently, preventive efforts must be targeted the young population but research relating to spinal problems in this age group is scarce. Focus has primarily been on the working age population, and therefore specific questionnaires to measure spinal pain and its consequences, specifically aimed at children and adolescents are absent. The purpose of this study was to develop a questionnaire for schoolchildren filling this gap. The Young Spine Questionnaire (YSQ) was developed in three phases--a conceptualisation, development and testing phase. The conceptualisation phase followed the Wilson and Cleary model and included questions regarding spinal prevalence estimates, pain frequency and intensity, activity restrictions, care seeking behaviour and influence of parental back trouble. Items from existing questionnaires and the "Revised Faces Pain Scale" (rFPS) were included during the development phase. The testing phase consisted of a mixed quantitative and qualitative iterative method carried out in two pilot tests using 4th grade children and focusing on assessment of spinal area location and item validity. The testing phase resulted in omission of the pain drawings and the questions and answer categories were simplified in several questions. Agreement between the questionnaire prevalence estimates and the interviews ranged between 83.7% (cervical pain today) and 97.9% (thoracic pain today). To improve the understanding of the spinal boundaries we added bony landmarks to the spinal drawings after pilot test I. This resulted in an improved sense of spinal boundary location in pilot test II. Correlations between the rFPS and the interview pain score ranged between 0.67 (cervical spine) and 0.79 (lumbar spine). The Young Spine Questionnaire contains questions that assess spinal pain and its consequences. The items have been tested for content understanding and agreement between questionnaire scores and interview findings among target respondents. These preliminary results suggest that the YSQ is feasible, has content validity and is a well understood questionnaire to be used in studies of children aged 9 to 11 years.

  2. Assessment of readiness to change in patients with osteoarthritis. development and application of a new questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Heuts, Peter H T G; de Bie, Rob A; Dijkstra, Arie; Aretz, Karin; Vlaeyen, Johan W S; Schouten, Hubert J A; Hopman-Rock, Marijke; van Weel, Chris; van Schayck, Constant P

    2005-05-01

    To develop a self-report measure for assessment of the stage of change in patients with osteoarthritis, in order to identify patients who would benefit from a self-management programme. According to the 'stages of change' model a questionnaire was developed with three groups of items corresponding to the precontemplation stage (Pre), the contemplation (Cont) and the action (Act) stage. Internal consistency and factor structure of this questionnaire were investigated by assessing Cronbach's alphas and by performing factor analysis. The questionnaire was offered to 273 patients who entered a randomized clinical trial on self-management in a general health care setting. Factor analysis revealed that most items corresponded to the a priori described groups, while some items were not loading on the presumed factor. In each subgroup some items were deleted, resulting in a 15-item questionnaire. After this item reduction Cronbach's alphas were 0.72 (Pre), 0.76 (Cont) and 0.79 (Act) and all factor loadings were satisfactory (above 0.35). Classification revealed some differences between parts of the total group, for example in the proportion of patients in the preparation stage (recruited by general practitioner = 33.6%; advertisement = 49.2%). The Stages of Change Questionnaire in Osteoarthritis, a 15-item questionnaire to assess the 'stage of change' of a patient with osteoarthritis showed good internal consistency and adequate factor structure. These findings warrant further studies on validity and applicability in a clinical context.

  3. Improving the measurement of health-related quality of life in adolescent with idiopathic scoliosis: the SRS-7, a Rasch-developed short form of the SRS-22 questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Caronni, Antonio; Zaina, Fabio; Negrini, Stefano

    2014-04-01

    Scoliosis Research Society-22 (SRS-22) questionnaire was developed to evaluate health-related quality of life (HRQL) in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) patients. Rasch analysis (RA) is a statistical procedure which turns questionnaire ordinal scores into interval measures. Measures from Rasch-compatible questionnaires can be used, similar to body temperature or blood pressure, to quantify disease severity progression and treatment efficacy. Purpose of the current work is to present Rasch analysis (RA) of the SRS-22 questionnaire and to develop an SRS-22 Rasch-approved short form. 300 SRS-22 were randomly collected from 2447 consecutive IS adolescents at their first evaluation (229 females; 13.9 ± 1.9 years; 26.9 ± 14.7 Cobb°) in a scoliosis outpatient clinic. RA showed both disordered thresholds and overall misfit of the SRS-22. Sixteen items were re-scored and two misfitting items (6 and 14) removed to obtain a Rasch-compatible questionnaire. Participants HRQL measured too high with the rearranged questionnaire, indicating a severe SRS-22 ceiling effect. RA also highlighted SRS-22 multidimensionality, with pain/function not merging with self-image/mental health items. Item 3 showed differential item functioning (DIF) for both curve and hump amplitude. A 7-item questionnaire (SRS-7) was prepared by selecting single items from the original SRS-22. SRS-7 showed fit to the model, unidimensionality and no DIF. Compared with the SRS-22, the short form scale shows better targeting of the participants' population. RA shows that SRS-22 has poor clinimetric properties; moreover, when used with AIS at first evaluation, SRS-22 is affected by a severe ceiling effect. SRS-7, an SRS-22 7-item short form questionnaire, provides an HRQL interval measure better tailored to these participants. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Development and validation of a quality-of-life questionnaire for patients with oral potentially malignant disorders.

    PubMed

    Tadakamadla, Jyothi; Kumar, Santhosh; Lalloo, Ratilal; Johnson, Newell W

    2017-03-01

    The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the validity and reliability of a quality-of-life (QoL) questionnaire for patients with oral potentially malignant disorders (OPMDs). For item generation, 15 personal interviews and three focus group discussions were conducted with OPMD patients existing QoL questionnaires were reviewed, and inputs from specialist clinicians (n = 10) were considered. Data collected from patients were analyzed by using NVivo. This led to the identification of themes, item writing, scaling, item reduction, formatting, and pretesting of the newly developed questionnaire. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were assessed in a separate sample of 300 patients (150 each of patients with OPMD and healthy individuals). Sixty items were generated from the qualitative data and by reviewing existing questionnaires. After item reduction, the final questionnaire comprised 20 questions, which could be categorized under four domains. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure conforming to the four domains. The OPMD QoL questionnaire exhibited good discriminant and convergent validity, with OPMD patients reporting poorer QoL compared with healthy individuals and correlating significantly with existing questionnaires designed for similar purposes respectively. Our OPMD QoL questionnaire was found to be valid and reliable. We recommend that it be applied in epidemiologic and treatment studies of these disorders. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Methodological Issues in Questionnaire Design.

    PubMed

    Song, Youngshin; Son, Youn Jung; Oh, Doonam

    2015-06-01

    The process of designing a questionnaire is complicated. Many questionnaires on nursing phenomena have been developed and used by nursing researchers. The purpose of this paper was to discuss questionnaire design and factors that should be considered when using existing scales. Methodological issues were discussed, such as factors in the design of questions, steps in developing questionnaires, wording and formatting methods for items, and administrations methods. How to use existing scales, how to facilitate cultural adaptation, and how to prevent socially desirable responding were discussed. Moreover, the triangulation method in questionnaire development was introduced. Steps were recommended for designing questions such as appropriately operationalizing key concepts for the target population, clearly formatting response options, generating items and confirming final items through face or content validity, sufficiently piloting the questionnaire using item analysis, demonstrating reliability and validity, finalizing the scale, and training the administrator. Psychometric properties and cultural equivalence should be evaluated prior to administration when using an existing questionnaire and performing cultural adaptation. In the context of well-defined nursing phenomena, logical and systematic methods will contribute to the development of simple and precise questionnaires.

  6. Translating questionnaire items for a multi-lingual worker population: the iterative process of translation and cognitive interviews with English-, Spanish-, and Chinese-speaking workers.

    PubMed

    Fujishiro, Kaori; Gong, Fang; Baron, Sherry; Jacobson, C Jeffery; DeLaney, Sheli; Flynn, Michael; Eggerth, Donald E

    2010-02-01

    The increasing ethnic diversity of the US workforce has created a need for research tools that can be used with multi-lingual worker populations. Developing multi-language questionnaire items is a complex process; however, very little has been documented in the literature. Commonly used English items from the Job Content Questionnaire and Quality of Work Life Questionnaire were translated by two interdisciplinary bilingual teams and cognitively tested in interviews with English-, Spanish-, and Chinese-speaking workers. Common problems across languages mainly concerned response format. Language-specific problems required more conceptual than literal translations. Some items were better understood by non-English speakers than by English speakers. De-centering (i.e., modifying the English original to correspond with translation) produced better understanding for one item. Translating questionnaire items and achieving equivalence across languages require various kinds of expertise. Backward translation itself is not sufficient. More research efforts should be concentrated on qualitative approaches to developing useful research tools. Published 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

  7. Development and psychometric testing of an instrument designed to measure chronic pain in dogs with osteoarthritis

    PubMed Central

    Boston, Raymond C.; Coyne, James C.; Farrar, John T.

    2010-01-01

    Objective To develop and psychometrically test an owner self-administered questionnaire designed to assess severity and impact of chronic pain in dogs with osteoarthritis. Sample Population 70 owners of dogs with osteoarthritis and 50 owners of clinically normal dogs. Procedures Standard methods for the stepwise development and testing of instruments designed to assess subjective states were used. Items were generated through focus groups and an expert panel. Items were tested for readability and ambiguity, and poorly performing items were removed. The reduced set of items was subjected to factor analysis, reliability testing, and validity testing. Results Severity of pain and interference with function were 2 factors identified and named on the basis of the items contained in them. Cronbach’s α was 0.93 and 0.89, respectively, suggesting that the items in each factor could be assessed as a group to compute factor scores (ie, severity score and interference score). The test-retest analysis revealed κ values of 0.75 for the severity score and 0.81 for the interference score. Scores correlated moderately well (r = 0.51 and 0.50, respectively) with the overall quality-of-life (QOL) question, such that as severity and interference scores increased, QOL decreased. Clinically normal dogs had significantly lower severity and interference scores than dogs with osteoarthritis. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance A psychometrically sound instrument was developed. Responsiveness testing must be conducted to determine whether the questionnaire will be useful in reliably obtaining quantifiable assessments from owners regarding the severity and impact of chronic pain and its treatment on dogs with osteoarthritis. PMID:17542696

  8. Validation of the instrument of health literacy competencies for Chinese-speaking health professionals.

    PubMed

    Chang, Li-Chun; Chen, Yu-Chi; Liao, Li-Ling; Wu, Fei Ling; Hsieh, Pei-Lin; Chen, Hsiao-Jung

    2017-01-01

    The study aimed to illustrate the constructs and test the psychometric properties of an instrument of health literacy competencies (IOHLC) for health professionals. A multi-phase questionnaire development method was used to develop the scale. The categorization of the knowledge and practice domains achieved consensus through a modified Delphi process. To reduce the number of items, the 92-item IOHLC was psychometrically evaluated through internal consistency, Rasch modeling, and two-stage factor analysis. In total, 736 practitioners, including nurses, nurse practitioners, health educators, case managers, and dieticians completed the 92-item IOHLC online from May 2012 to January 2013. The final version of the IOHLC covered 9 knowledge items and 40 skill items containing 9 dimensions, with good model fit, and explaining 72% of total variance. All domains had acceptable internal consistency and discriminant validity. The tool in this study is the first to verify health literacy competencies rigorously. Moreover, through psychometric testing, the 49-item IOHLC demonstrates adequate reliability and validity. The IOHLC may serve as a reference for the theoretical and in-service training of Chinese-speaking individuals' health literacy competencies.

  9. Differential Item Functioning Analysis of the 2003-04 NHANES Physical Activity Questionnaire

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Gao, Yong; Zhu, Weimo

    2011-01-01

    Using differential item functioning (DIF) analyses, this study examined whether there were any DIF items in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) physical activity (PA) questionnaire. A subset of adult data from the 2003-04 NHANES study (n = 3,083) was used. PA items related to respondents' occupational, transportation,…

  10. Development of a Valid and Reliable Knee Articular Cartilage Condition-Specific Study Methodological Quality Score.

    PubMed

    Harris, Joshua D; Erickson, Brandon J; Cvetanovich, Gregory L; Abrams, Geoffrey D; McCormick, Frank M; Gupta, Anil K; Verma, Nikhil N; Bach, Bernard R; Cole, Brian J

    2014-02-01

    Condition-specific questionnaires are important components in evaluation of outcomes of surgical interventions. No condition-specific study methodological quality questionnaire exists for evaluation of outcomes of articular cartilage surgery in the knee. To develop a reliable and valid knee articular cartilage-specific study methodological quality questionnaire. Cross-sectional study. A stepwise, a priori-designed framework was created for development of a novel questionnaire. Relevant items to the topic were identified and extracted from a recent systematic review of 194 investigations of knee articular cartilage surgery. In addition, relevant items from existing generic study methodological quality questionnaires were identified. Items for a preliminary questionnaire were generated. Redundant and irrelevant items were eliminated, and acceptable items modified. The instrument was pretested and items weighed. The instrument, the MARK score (Methodological quality of ARticular cartilage studies of the Knee), was tested for validity (criterion validity) and reliability (inter- and intraobserver). A 19-item, 3-domain MARK score was developed. The 100-point scale score demonstrated face validity (focus group of 8 orthopaedic surgeons) and criterion validity (strong correlation to Cochrane Quality Assessment score and Modified Coleman Methodology Score). Interobserver reliability for the overall score was good (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC], 0.842), and for all individual items of the MARK score, acceptable to perfect (ICC, 0.70-1.000). Intraobserver reliability ICC assessed over a 3-week interval was strong for 2 reviewers (≥0.90). The MARK score is a valid and reliable knee articular cartilage condition-specific study methodological quality instrument. This condition-specific questionnaire may be used to evaluate the quality of studies reporting outcomes of articular cartilage surgery in the knee.

  11. Development and validation of a patient-reported outcome measure for stroke patients.

    PubMed

    Luo, Yanhong; Yang, Jie; Zhang, Yanbo

    2015-05-08

    Family support and patient satisfaction with treatment are crucial for aiding in the recovery from stroke. However, current validated stroke-specific questionnaires may not adequately capture the impact of these two variables on patients undergoing clinical trials of new drugs. Therefore, the aim of this study was to develop and evaluate a new stroke patient-reported outcome measure (Stroke-PROM) instrument for capturing more comprehensive effects of stroke on patients participating in clinical trials of new drugs. A conceptual framework and a pool of items for the preliminary Stroke-PROM were generated by consulting the relevant literature and other questionnaires created in China and other countries, and interviewing 20 patients and 4 experts to ensure that all germane parameters were included. During the first item-selection phase, classical test theory and item response theory were applied to an initial scale completed by 133 patients with stroke. During the item-revaluation phase, classical test theory and item response theory were used again, this time with 475 patients with stroke and 104 healthy participants. During the scale assessment phase, confirmatory factor analysis was applied to the final scale of the Stroke-PROM using the same study population as in the second item-selection phase. Reliability, validity, responsiveness and feasibility of the final scale were tested. The final scale of Stroke-PROM contained 46 items describing four domains (physiology, psychology, society and treatment). These four domains were subdivided into 10 subdomains. Cronbach's α coefficients for the four domains ranged from 0.861 to 0.908. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the validity of the final scale, and the model fit index satisfied the criterion. Differences in the Stroke-PROM mean scores were significant between patients with stroke and healthy participants in nine subdomains (P < 0.001), indicating that the scale showed good responsiveness. The Stroke-PROM is a patient-reported outcome multidimensional questionnaire developed especially for clinical trials of new drugs and is focused on issues of family support and patient satisfaction with treatment. Extensive data analyses supported the validity, reliability and responsiveness of the Stroke-PROM.

  12. Validation of a Brazilian version of the moral sensitivity questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Dalla Nora, Carlise R; Zoboli, Elma Lcp; Vieira, Margarida M

    2017-01-01

    Moral sensitivity has been identified as a foundational component of ethical action. Diminished or absent moral sensitivity can result in deficient care. In this context, assessing moral sensitivity is imperative for designing interventions to facilitate ethical practice and ensure that nurses make appropriate decisions. The main purpose of this study was to validate a scale for examining the moral sensitivity of Brazilian nurses. A pre-existing scale, the Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire, which was developed by Lützén, was used after the deletion of three items. The reliability and validity of the scale were examined using Cronbach's alpha and factor analysis, respectively. Participants and research context: Overall, 316 nurses from Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, participated in the study. Ethical considerations: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Research of the Nursing School of the University of São Paulo. The Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire contained 27 items that were distributed across four dimensions: interpersonal orientation, professional knowledge, moral conflict and moral meaning. The questionnaire accounted for 55.8% of the total variance, with Cronbach's alpha of 0.82. The mean score for moral sensitivity was 4.45 (out of 7). The results of this study were compared with studies from other countries to examine the structure and implications of the moral sensitivity of nurses in Brazil. The Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire is an appropriate tool for examining the moral sensitivity of Brazilian nurses.

  13. Validating the food behavior questions from the elementary school SPAN questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Thiagarajah, Krisha; Fly, Alyce D; Hoelscher, Deanna M; Bai, Yeon; Lo, Kaman; Leone, Angela; Shertzer, Julie A

    2008-01-01

    The School Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) questionnaire was developed as a surveillance instrument to measure physical activity, nutrition attitudes, and dietary and physical activity behaviors in children and adolescents. The SPAN questionnaire has 2 versions. This study was conducted to evaluate the validity of food consumption items from the elementary school version of the SPAN questionnaire. Validity was assessed by comparing food items selected on the questionnaire with food items reported from a single 24-hour recall covering the same reference period. 5 elementary schools in Indiana. Fourth-grade student volunteers (N = 121) from 5 elementary schools. Agreement between responses to SPAN questionnaire items and reference values obtained through 24-hour dietary recall. The agreement between the questionnaire and the 24-hour recall was measured using Spearman correlation, percentage agreement, and kappa statistic. Correlation between SPAN item responses and recall data ranged from .25 (bread and related products) to .67 (gravy). The percentage agreement ranged from 26% (bread and related products) to 90% (gravy). The kappa statistic varied from .06 (chocolate candy) to .60 (beans). Results from this study indicate that the SPAN questionnaire can be administered in the classroom quickly and easily to measure many previous day dietary behaviors of fourth graders. However, questions addressing consumption of "vegetables," "candy," and "snacks" need further investigation.

  14. Use of a safety climate questionnaire in UK health care: factor structure, reliability and usability.

    PubMed

    Hutchinson, A; Cooper, K L; Dean, J E; McIntosh, A; Patterson, M; Stride, C B; Laurence, B E; Smith, C M

    2006-10-01

    To explore the factor structure, reliability, and potential usefulness of a patient safety climate questionnaire in UK health care. Four acute hospital trusts and nine primary care trusts in England. The questionnaire used was the 27 item Teamwork and Safety Climate Survey. Thirty three healthcare staff commented on the wording and relevance. The questionnaire was then sent to 3650 staff within the 13 NHS trusts, seeking to achieve at least 600 responses as the basis for the factor analysis. 1307 questionnaires were returned (36% response). Factor analyses and reliability analyses were carried out on 897 responses from staff involved in direct patient care, to explore how consistently the questions measured the underlying constructs of safety climate and teamwork. Some questionnaire items related to multiple factors or did not relate strongly to any factor. Five items were discarded. Two teamwork factors were derived from the remaining 11 teamwork items and three safety climate factors were derived from the remaining 11 safety items. Internal consistency reliabilities were satisfactory to good (Cronbach's alpha > or =0.69 for all five factors). This is one of the few studies to undertake a detailed evaluation of a patient safety climate questionnaire in UK health care and possibly the first to do so in primary as well as secondary care. The results indicate that a 22 item version of this safety climate questionnaire is useable as a research instrument in both settings, but also demonstrates a more general need for thorough validation of safety climate questionnaires before widespread usage.

  15. Validity and reliability of the TED-QOL: a new three-item questionnaire to assess quality of life in thyroid eye disease.

    PubMed

    Fayers, Tessa; Dolman, Peter J

    2011-12-01

    To develop and test a user-friendly questionnaire for rapidly assessing quality of life (QOL) in thyroid eye disease (TED). A three-item questionnaire, the TED-QOL, was designed and compared to the 16-item Graves Ophthalmopathy (GO)-QOL and the nine-item GO-Quality of Life Scale (QLS). 100 patients with TED were administered all three questionnaires on two occasions. Results were compared to clinical severity scores (Vision, Inflammation, Strabismus, Appearance (VISA) classification). Main outcomes were construct and criterion validity, test-retest reliability, duration, comprehension and completion rates. TED-QOL correlated strongly with the other questionnaires for corresponding items (Pearson correlation: appearance 0.71, 0.62; functioning 0.69, 0.66; overall QOL 0.53). Test-retest analysis demonstrated good reliability for all three questionnaires (intraclass correlations: TED-QOL 0.81, 0.74, 0.87; GO-QOL 0.81, 0.82; GO-QLS 0.74, 0.86, 0.67). TED-QOL was significantly faster to complete (1.6 min vs GO-QOL 3.1 min, GO-QLS 2.7 min, p<0.0001) and had a higher completion rate (100% vs GO-QOL 78%, GO-QLS 94%). There was only moderate correlation between items on all three questionnaires and VISA scores. The TED-QOL is rapid and easy to complete and analyse and has similar validity and reliability to longer questionnaires. All questionnaires showed only moderate correlation with disease severity, emphasising the discrepancy between objective and subjective assessments and the importance of measuring both.

  16. Construction and validation of attitudes toward plagiarism questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Mavrinac, Martina; Brumini, Gordana; Bilić-Zulle, Lidija; Petrovecki, Mladen

    2010-06-01

    To develop and test the psychometric characteristics of a questionnaire measuring attitudes toward plagiarism. Participants were 227 undergraduates and graduate students (128 women and 99 men) from three Croatian universities, with a median age of 21 years (range 18 to 48). Research was conducted from March to June 2009. For the purpose of construction of the first version of the questionnaire, 67 statements (items) were developed. The statements were based on the relevant literature and were developed following rules and recommendations for questionnaire writing, and 36 items were chosen for final validation. Factor analysis was used to find out the factor structure of the questionnaire and to measure construct validity. The final version of the questionnaire consisted of 29 items divided into a three-factor structure: factor I - positive attitude toward plagiarism (12 items); factor II - negative attitude toward plagiarism (7 items); and factor III - subjective norms toward plagiarism (10 items). Cronbach alpha was calculated to confirm the reliability of the scale: factor I - alpha=0.83; factor II - alpha=0.79; and factor III - alpha=0.85. Correlations between factors were: -0.37 between I and II, -0.41 between I and III, and +0.31 between II and III. Attitudes Toward Plagiarism questionnaire was developed, with good psychometric characteristics. It will be used in future research as a standardized tool for measuring attitudes toward plagiarism.

  17. Health-related quality of life questionnaire for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOSQ-50): development and psychometric properties.

    PubMed

    Nasiri-Amiri, Fatemeh; Ramezani Tehrani, Fahimeh; Simbar, Masoumeh; Montazeri, Ali; Mohammadpour, Reza Ali

    2016-07-01

    The determinants of the health-related quality of life of women with polycystic ovary syndrome are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to develop a comprehensive instrument to assess the health-related quality of life of Iranian women with PCOS and to assess its psychometric properties. We used a mixed-method, sequential, exploratory design including both qualitative [in-depth interview to define the components of health-related quality of life questionnaire (PCOSQ)] and quantitative approaches (to assess the psychometric properties of PCOSQ). A preliminary questionnaire was developed including 147 items which emerged from the qualitative phase of the study. Considering the optimum cutoff points for content validity ratio (CVR), content validity index (CVI), and impact score, items of the preliminary questionnaire were reduced from 147 to 88 items. Finally, by excluding highly correlated items using the exploratory factor analysis, a 50-item questionnaire was obtained. The Kaiser criteria (eigenvalues >1) and Scree plot tests demonstrated that six factors were optimum with an estimated 47.3 % of variance. Assessment of the psychometric properties of the questionnaire demonstrated a mean CVI = 0.92, CVR = 0.91, Cronbach's alpha for whole questionnaire = 0.88 (0.61-0.88 for subscales), Spearman's correlation coefficients of test-retest = 0.75, and the intra-class correlation coefficient for the PCOS questionnaire subscales ranging from 0.57 to 0.88. Eventually the final questionnaire included 50 items in six domains, 'psychosocial and emotional,' 'fertility,' 'sexual function,' 'obesity and menstrual disorders,' 'hirsutism,' and 'coping' and rated on a 5-point Likert scale. The PCOSQ-50 is a valid and reliable instrument for the assessment of quality of life of women with PCOS, capable of assessing some obscure aspects overlooked by previous HRQL questionnaires.

  18. Development of a questionnaire to evaluate patients’ awareness of cardiovascular disease risk in England’s National Health Service Health Check preventive cardiovascular programme

    PubMed Central

    Woringer, Maria; Nielsen, Jessica Jones; Zibarras, Lara; Evason, Julie; Harris, Matthew; Majeed, Azeem; Soljak, Michael

    2017-01-01

    Background The National Health Service (NHS) Health Check is a cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment and management programme in England aiming to increase CVD risk awareness among people at increased risk of CVD. There is no tool to assess the effectiveness of the programme in communicating CVD risk to patients. Aims The aim of this paper was to develop a questionnaire examining patients’ CVD risk awareness for use in health service research evaluations of the NHS Health Check programme. Methods We developed an 85-item questionnaire to determine patients’ views of their risk of CVD. The questionnaire was based on a review of the relevant literature. After review by an expert panel and focus group discussion, 22 items were dropped and 2 new items were added. The resulting 65-item questionnaire with satisfactory content validity (content validity indices≥0.80) and face validity was tested on 110 NHS Health Check attendees in primary care in a cross-sectional study between 21 May 2014 and 28 July 2014. Results Following analyses of data, we reduced the questionnaire from 65 to 26 items. The 26-item questionnaire constitutes four scales: Knowledge of CVD Risk and Prevention, Perceived Risk of Heart Attack/Stroke, Perceived Benefits and Intention to Change Behaviour and Healthy Eating Intentions. Perceived Risk (Cronbach’s α=0.85) and Perceived Benefits and Intention to Change Behaviour (Cronbach’s α=0.82) have satisfactory reliability (Cronbach’s α≥0.70). Healthy Eating Intentions (Cronbach’s α=0.56) is below minimum threshold for reliability but acceptable for a three-item scale. Conclusions The resulting questionnaire, with satisfactory reliability and validity, may be used in assessing patients’ awareness of CVD risk among NHS Health Check attendees. PMID:28947435

  19. Cognitive Change Questionnaire as a method for cognitive impairment screening

    PubMed Central

    Damin, Antonio Eduardo; Nitrini, Ricardo; Brucki, Sonia Maria Dozzi

    2015-01-01

    The Cognitive Change Questionnaire (CCQ) was created as an effective measure of cognitive change that is easy to use and suitable for application in Brazil. Objective To evaluate whether the CCQ can accurately distinguish normal subjects from individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and/or early stage dementia and to develop a briefer questionnaire, based on the original 22-item CCQ (CCQ22), that contains fewer questions. Methods A total of 123 individuals were evaluated: 42 healthy controls, 40 patients with MCI and 41 with mild dementia. The evaluation was performed using cognitive tests based on individual performance and on questionnaires administered to informants. The CCQ22 was created based on a selection of questions that experts deemed useful in screening for early stage dementia. Results The CCQ22 showed good accuracy for distinguishing between the groups. Statistical models selected the eight questions with the greatest power to discriminate between the groups. The AUC ROC corresponding to the final version of the 8-item CCQ (CCQ8), demonstrated good accuracy in differentiating between groups, good correlation with the final diagnosis (r=0.861) and adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.876). Conclusion The CCQ8 can be used to accurately differentiate between normal subjects and individuals with cognitive impairment, constituting a brief and appropriate instrument for cognitive screening. PMID:29213967

  20. Development and utilization of the Medicines Use Review patient satisfaction questionnaire

    PubMed Central

    Hindi, Ali; Parkhurst, Caroline; Rashidi, Yasamin; Ho, Shun Yan; Patel, Nilesh; Donyai, Parastou

    2017-01-01

    The Medicines Use Review is a community pharmacy service funded in the United Kingdom to improve patients’ adherence to medication and reduce medicines waste. The objective was to develop, pilot, and utilize a new Medicines Use Review patient satisfaction questionnaire. A questionnaire for patient self-completion was developed using a published framework of patient satisfaction with the Medicines Use Review service. The questions were validated using the content validity index and the questionnaire piloted through three pharmacies (February–April 2016). The revised questionnaire contained 12 questions with responses on a 5-point Likert scale, and a comments box. The questionnaire was distributed to patients following a Medicines Use Review consultation via community pharmacies (June–October 2016). Exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach’s α were performed to investigate the relationships between the items and to examine structural validity. The survey results were examined for patients’ reported satisfaction with Medicines Use Reviews, while the handwritten comments were thematically analyzed and mapped against the questionnaire items. An estimated 2,151 questionnaires were handed out, and a total of 505 responses were received indicating a 24% response rate. Exploratory factor analysis revealed two factors with a cumulative variance of 68.8%, and Cronbach’s α showed high internal consistency for each factor (α=0.90 and α=0.89, respectively). The survey results demonstrated that patients could show a high degree of overall satisfaction with the service, even if initially reluctant to take part in a Medicines Use Review. The results support the Medicines Use Review patient satisfaction questionnaire as a suitable tool for measuring patient satisfaction with the Medicines Use Review service. A wider study is needed to confirm the findings about this community pharmacy-based adherence service. PMID:29118573

  1. Validation of a Persian Short-Form Version of a Standardised Questionnaire Assessing Oral Cancer Knowledge, Practice and Attitudes Among Dentists.

    PubMed

    Navabi, Nader; Hashemipour, Maryam A; Roughani, Aida

    2017-02-01

    Oral cancer is a global health problem; however, many dentists lack the necessary skills, knowledge and capacity to diagnose oral cancers early. This study aimed to examine the validity and reliability of a Persian short-form version of a standardised questionnaire to assess dentists' knowledge, practice and attitudes towards oral cancer. This cross-sectional analytical study was carried out in May 2015 in Tehran, Iran. An original 39-item English-language questionnaire developed by Yellowitz et al . was translated into Persian using forward and backward translation methods. A total of 15 dental professionals were asked to assess the questionnaire for content validity. Based on their feedback, a 20-item short-form version was prepared, including six demographic, six knowledge, four attitude and four practice items. The translated short-form questionnaire was subsequently distributed to 973 general dental practitioners attending a dental conference in Tehran. Internal consistency and reliability were assessed with Cronbach's alpha coefficient and item-total correlation calculations. A total of 13 professionals and 313 general dentists participated in the study (response rates: 86.7% and 32.2%, respectively). After the elimination of six items (two knowledge, two attitude and two practice items), the validity and reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed. The final Persian 14-item version of the questionnaire had acceptable validity and internal consistency. These results indicate that researchers can use this translated short-form version to evaluate oral cancer knowledge, attitudes and practices among Persian-speaking dentists; this will allow for a comparison of data between different populations.

  2. Development and validation of the Self-Esteem And Relationship (SEAR) questionnaire in erectile dysfunction.

    PubMed

    Cappelleri, J C; Althof, S E; Siegel, R L; Shpilsky, A; Bell, S S; Duttagupta, S

    2004-02-01

    Development and validation of a patient-reported measure of psychosocial variables in men with erectile dysfunction (ED) is described. Literature review, focus groups, and medical specialists identified 86 potential items. Redundant, ambiguous, or low item-to-total correlation items were removed. Data from 98 men reporting diagnosed ED and 94 controls assisted in final item selection and psychometric evaluation. Treatment responsiveness was evaluated in 93 men with ED in a 10-week open-label trial of sildenafil citrate (Viagra). The 14 chosen items resolved into two domains: Sexual Relationship (eight items) and Confidence (six items), the latter comprising Self-Esteem (four items) and Overall Relationship (two items) subscales. The resulting Self-Esteem And Relationship (SEAR) questionnaire demonstrated validity and reliability. The intervention study demonstrated responsiveness to beneficial treatment with significant improvement in scores (P=0.0001). The SEAR questionnaire possesses strong psychometric properties that support its validity and reliability for measuring sexual relationship, confidence, and particularly self-esteem.

  3. Influence of dominant- as compared with nondominant-side symptoms on Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand and Western Ontario Rotator Cuff scores in patients with rotator cuff tendinopathy.

    PubMed

    Christiansen, David Høyrup; Michener, Lori; Roy, Jean-Sébastien

    2018-02-13

    The Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH) questionnaire and the Western Ontario Rotator Cuff (WORC) index are 2 widely used patient-reported questionnaires in individuals with rotator cuff (RC) tendinopathy. In contrast to the WORC index, for which the items are specific to the affected shoulder, the items of the DASH questionnaire assess the ability to perform activities regardless of the arm used. The objective of this study is to determine whether scores on the DASH questionnaire and WORC index are affected if the symptoms are on the dominant or nondominant side in individuals with RC tendinopathy. Given the number of items that can be influenced by dominance, the hypothesis is that DASH scores will be impacted by the side of the symptoms. Individuals with RC tendinopathy (N = 149) completed questions on symptomatology and hand dominance, the DASH questionnaire, and the WORC index. Differences in total scores (independent t test) and single items (Wilcoxon rank sum test) were compared between groups of participants with dominant-side symptoms and those without dominant-side symptoms. No significant differences were observed for WORC or DASH total scores when comparing participants with and without symptoms on their dominant side. Single-item comparison revealed more items being affected by symptom side on the DASH questionnaire (6 of 30 items) than on the WORC index (2 of 21 items). The side of the symptoms does not influence the DASH and WORC total scores, as there are no systematic differences between individuals with and without symptoms in their dominant shoulder. However, the presence of dominant symptoms does influence item scores more on the DASH questionnaire than on the WORC index. Copyright © 2018 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Development of the Japanese 15D instrument of health-related quality of life: verification of reliability and validity among elderly people.

    PubMed

    Okamoto, Nozomi; Hisashige, Akinori; Tanaka, Yuu; Kurumatani, Norio

    2013-01-01

    The 15D is a self-administered questionnaire for assessment of health-related quality of life, which contains 15 questions with 5 response options each. This study was conducted to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Japanese 15D. The subjects were 430 community-dwelling elderly people. Each item of the 15D was scored on a 5-point Likert scale, with level 1 being the best, score 1. Reliability was assessed by determination of the internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Criterion-based validity was assessed using the Japanese version of the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) and Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology Index of Competence (TMIG index). Acceptability was assessed by inquiring about the time required to complete the questionnaire and the burden felt in responding to it. The answers of 423 individuals who responded to all items were analyzed. The median time required to complete the questionnaire was 5.0 minutes, and the proportion of subjects who indicated that the questionnaire was easy to complete was 98.3%. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients for all 15 items in the 2 surveys were 0.793 and 0.792, respectively. The intraclass correlation coefficients for the 15 items ranged from 0.44 to 0.72. In the relationship between the 15D and the NHP, the correlation coefficients between the corresponding domains were higher than those between non-corresponding domains. The prevalence of disability in higher-level functional capacity was higher in the "level 2 to 5" group than in the "level 1" group. The Japanese version of the 15D showed sufficient internal consistency and moderate repeatability. Because of the short time required to complete the Japanese 15D and the significant relationships between the scores on the 15D and the NHP, and between the 15D and higher-level functional capacity, the acceptability and validity of the Japanese 15D were considered to be sufficient.

  5. Development and validation of a disease-specific health-related quality of life measure, the LupusQol, for adults with systemic lupus erythematosus.

    PubMed

    McElhone, Kathleen; Abbott, Janice; Shelmerdine, Joanna; Bruce, Ian N; Ahmad, Yasmeen; Gordon, Caroline; Peers, Kate; Isenberg, David; Ferenkeh-Koroma, Ada; Griffiths, Bridget; Akil, Mohamed; Maddison, Peter; Teh, Lee-Suan

    2007-08-15

    To develop and validate a disease-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL) instrument for adults with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The work consisted of 6 stages. Stage 1 included item generation for questionnaire content from semistructured interviews with SLE patients. In stage 2 item selection for the draft questionnaire was performed by thematic analysis of the patient interview transcripts and expert panel agreement. In stage 3 the content validity of the draft questionnaire was assessed by patients completing the questionnaire and providing critical feedback. In stages 4 and 5 construct validity and internal reliability of the 3 versions of the LupusQoL were evaluated using principal component analysis with varimax rotation and Cronbach's alpha coefficients, respectively. In stage 6 discriminatory validity, concurrent validity, and test-retest reliability were evaluated. Stages 1, 2, and 3 resulted in a preliminary instrument containing 63 items. In stage 4, 8 domains were identified. This factor structure, accounting for 82% of the variance, was confirmed in stage 5. The domains and Cronbach's alpha coefficients were physical health (0.94), emotional health (0.94), body image (0.89), pain (0.92), planning (0.93), fatigue (0.88), intimate relationships (0.96), and burden to others (0.94). Discriminant validity was demonstrated for different levels of disease activity (British Isles Lupus Assessment Group Index) and damage (Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/American College of Rheumatology Damage Index). High correlations (r = 0.71-0.79) between comparable domains of the Short Form 36 and the LupusQoL assured acceptable concurrent validity. Good test-retest reliability (r = 0.72-0.93) was demonstrated. The LupusQoL is a validated SLE-specific HRQOL instrument with 34 items across 8 domains defined by patients as being important.

  6. Development of a Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire for Use among the Yup'ik People of Western Alaska

    PubMed Central

    Kolahdooz, Fariba; Simeon, Desiree; Ferguson, Gary; Sharma, Sangita

    2014-01-01

    Alaska Native populations are experiencing a nutrition transition and a resulting decrease in diet quality. The present study aimed to develop a quantitative food frequency questionnaire to assess the diet of the Yup'ik people of Western Alaska. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using 24-hour recalls and the information collected served as a basis for developing a quantitative food frequency questionnaire. A total of 177 males and females, aged 13-88, in six western Alaska communities, completed up to three 24-hour recalls as part of the Alaska Native Dietary and Subsistence Food Assessment Project. The frequency of the foods reported in the 24-hour recalls was tabulated and used to create a draft quantitative food frequency questionnaire, which was pilot tested and finalized with input from community members. Store-bought foods high in fat and sugar were reported more frequently than traditional foods. Seven of the top 26 foods most frequently reported were traditional foods. A 150-item quantitative food frequency questionnaire was developed that included 14 breads and crackers; 3 cereals; 11 dairy products; 69 meats, poultry and fish; 13 fruit; 22 vegetables; 9 desserts and snacks; and 9 beverages. The quantitative food frequency questionnaire contains 39 traditional food items. This quantitative food frequency questionnaire can be used to assess the unique diet of the Alaska Native people of Western Alaska. This tool will allow for monitoring of dietary changes over time as well as the identification of foods and nutrients that could be promoted in a nutrition intervention program intended to reduce chronic disease. PMID:24963718

  7. Development of a quantitative food frequency questionnaire for use among the Yup'ik people of Western Alaska.

    PubMed

    Kolahdooz, Fariba; Simeon, Desiree; Ferguson, Gary; Sharma, Sangita

    2014-01-01

    Alaska Native populations are experiencing a nutrition transition and a resulting decrease in diet quality. The present study aimed to develop a quantitative food frequency questionnaire to assess the diet of the Yup'ik people of Western Alaska. A cross-sectional survey was conducted using 24-hour recalls and the information collected served as a basis for developing a quantitative food frequency questionnaire. A total of 177 males and females, aged 13-88, in six western Alaska communities, completed up to three 24-hour recalls as part of the Alaska Native Dietary and Subsistence Food Assessment Project. The frequency of the foods reported in the 24-hour recalls was tabulated and used to create a draft quantitative food frequency questionnaire, which was pilot tested and finalized with input from community members. Store-bought foods high in fat and sugar were reported more frequently than traditional foods. Seven of the top 26 foods most frequently reported were traditional foods. A 150-item quantitative food frequency questionnaire was developed that included 14 breads and crackers; 3 cereals; 11 dairy products; 69 meats, poultry and fish; 13 fruit; 22 vegetables; 9 desserts and snacks; and 9 beverages. The quantitative food frequency questionnaire contains 39 traditional food items. This quantitative food frequency questionnaire can be used to assess the unique diet of the Alaska Native people of Western Alaska. This tool will allow for monitoring of dietary changes over time as well as the identification of foods and nutrients that could be promoted in a nutrition intervention program intended to reduce chronic disease.

  8. The PROactive instruments to measure physical activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

    PubMed Central

    Gimeno-Santos, Elena; Raste, Yogini; Demeyer, Heleen; Louvaris, Zafeiris; de Jong, Corina; Rabinovich, Roberto A.; Hopkinson, Nicholas S.; Polkey, Michael I.; Vogiatzis, Ioannis; Tabberer, Maggie; Dobbels, Fabienne; Ivanoff, Nathalie; de Boer, Willem I.; van der Molen, Thys; Kulich, Karoly; Serra, Ignasi; Basagaña, Xavier; Troosters, Thierry; Puhan, Milo A.; Karlsson, Niklas

    2015-01-01

    No current patient-centred instrument captures all dimensions of physical activity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Our objective was item reduction and initial validation of two instruments to measure physical activity in COPD. Physical activity was assessed in a 6-week, randomised, two-way cross-over, multicentre study using PROactive draft questionnaires (daily and clinical visit versions) and two activity monitors. Item reduction followed an iterative process including classical and Rasch model analyses, and input from patients and clinical experts. 236 COPD patients from five European centres were included. Results indicated the concept of physical activity in COPD had two domains, labelled “amount” and “difficulty”. After item reduction, the daily PROactive instrument comprised nine items and the clinical visit contained 14. Both demonstrated good model fit (person separation index >0.7). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the bidimensional structure. Both instruments had good internal consistency (Cronbach's α>0.8), test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient ≥0.9) and exhibited moderate-to-high correlations (r>0.6) with related constructs and very low correlations (r<0.3) with unrelated constructs, providing evidence for construct validity. Daily and clinical visit “PROactive physical activity in COPD” instruments are hybrid tools combining a short patient-reported outcome questionnaire and two activity monitor variables which provide simple, valid and reliable measures of physical activity in COPD patients. PMID:26022965

  9. The PROactive instruments to measure physical activity in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

    PubMed

    Gimeno-Santos, Elena; Raste, Yogini; Demeyer, Heleen; Louvaris, Zafeiris; de Jong, Corina; Rabinovich, Roberto A; Hopkinson, Nicholas S; Polkey, Michael I; Vogiatzis, Ioannis; Tabberer, Maggie; Dobbels, Fabienne; Ivanoff, Nathalie; de Boer, Willem I; van der Molen, Thys; Kulich, Karoly; Serra, Ignasi; Basagaña, Xavier; Troosters, Thierry; Puhan, Milo A; Karlsson, Niklas; Garcia-Aymerich, Judith

    2015-10-01

    No current patient-centred instrument captures all dimensions of physical activity in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Our objective was item reduction and initial validation of two instruments to measure physical activity in COPD.Physical activity was assessed in a 6-week, randomised, two-way cross-over, multicentre study using PROactive draft questionnaires (daily and clinical visit versions) and two activity monitors. Item reduction followed an iterative process including classical and Rasch model analyses, and input from patients and clinical experts.236 COPD patients from five European centres were included. Results indicated the concept of physical activity in COPD had two domains, labelled "amount" and "difficulty". After item reduction, the daily PROactive instrument comprised nine items and the clinical visit contained 14. Both demonstrated good model fit (person separation index >0.7). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the bidimensional structure. Both instruments had good internal consistency (Cronbach's α>0.8), test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient ≥0.9) and exhibited moderate-to-high correlations (r>0.6) with related constructs and very low correlations (r<0.3) with unrelated constructs, providing evidence for construct validity.Daily and clinical visit "PROactive physical activity in COPD" instruments are hybrid tools combining a short patient-reported outcome questionnaire and two activity monitor variables which provide simple, valid and reliable measures of physical activity in COPD patients. Copyright ©ERS 2015.

  10. Student Questionnaire. [Harvard Project Physics

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Welch, Wayne W.; Ahlgren, Andrew

    This 60-item questionnaire was designed to gather general background information from students who had used the Harvard Project Physics curriculum. The instrument includes three 20-item subscales: (1) attitude toward physics, (2) career interest, and (3) student characteristics. Items are multiple choice (5 options), and the introductory material…

  11. Development of a core outcome set for research and audit studies in reconstructive breast surgery.

    PubMed

    Potter, S; Holcombe, C; Ward, J A; Blazeby, J M

    2015-10-01

    Appropriate outcome selection is essential if research is to guide decision-making and inform policy. Systematic reviews of the clinical, cosmetic and patient-reported outcomes of reconstructive breast surgery, however, have demonstrated marked heterogeneity, and results from individual studies cannot be compared or combined. Use of a core outcome set may improve the situation. The BRAVO study developed a core outcome set for reconstructive breast surgery. A long list of outcomes identified from systematic reviews and stakeholder interviews was used to inform a questionnaire survey. Key stakeholders defined as individuals involved in decision-making for reconstructive breast surgery, including patients, breast and plastic surgeons, specialist nurses and psychologists, were sampled purposively and sent the questionnaire (round 1). This asked them to rate the importance of each outcome on a 9-point Likert scale from 1 (not important) to 9 (extremely important). The proportion of respondents rating each item as very important (score 7-9) was calculated. This was fed back to participants in a second questionnaire (round 2). Respondents were asked to reprioritize outcomes based on the feedback received. Items considered very important after round 2 were discussed at consensus meetings, where the core outcome set was agreed. A total of 148 items were combined into 34 domains within six categories. Some 303 participants (51·4 per cent) (215 (49·5 per cent) of 434 patients; 88 (56·4 per cent) of 156 professionals) completed and returned the round 1 questionnaire, and 259 (85·5 per cent) reprioritized outcomes in round 2. Fifteen items were excluded based on questionnaire scores and 19 were carried forward to the consensus meetings, where a core outcome set containing 11 key outcomes was agreed. The BRAVO study has used robust consensus methodology to develop a core outcome set for reconstructive breast surgery. Widespread adoption by the reconstructive community will improve the quality of outcome assessment in effectiveness studies. Future work will evaluate how these key outcomes should best be measured. © 2015 The Authors. BJS published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of BJS Society Ltd.

  12. Differential item functional analysis on pedagogic and content knowledge (PCK) questionnaire for Indonesian teachers using RASCH model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Rahmani, B. D.

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this paper is to evaluate Indonesian senior high school teacher’s pedagogical content knowledge also their perception toward curriculum changing in West Java Indonesia. The data used in this study were derived from a questionnaire survey conducted among teachers in Bandung, West Java. A total of 61 usable responses were collected. The Differential Item Functioning (DIFF) was used to analyze the data whether the item had a difference or not toward gender, education background also on school location. However, the result showed that there was no any significant difference on gender and school location toward the item response but educational background. As a conclusion, the teacher’s educational background influence on giving the response to the questionnaire. Therefore, it is suggested in the future to construct the items on the questionnaire which is coped the differences of the participant particularly the educational background.

  13. Social anxiety in the general population: introducing abbreviated versions of SIAS and SPS.

    PubMed

    Kupper, Nina; Denollet, Johan

    2012-01-01

    Social anxiety is characterized by the experience of stress, discomfort and fear in social situations, and is associated with substantial personal and societal burden. Two questionnaires exist that assess the aspects of social anxiety, i.e. social interaction anxiety (SIAS) and social phobia (SPS). There is no agreement in literature on the dimensionality of social anxiety. Further, the length of a questionnaire may negatively affect response rates and participation at follow-up occasions. To explore the structure of social anxiety in the general population, and to examine psychosocial and sociodemographic correlates. Our second aim was to construct abbreviated versions of SIAS and SPS that can be easily used and with minimal burden. A total of 1598 adults from the general Dutch population completed a survey asking information on social anxiety, mood and demographics. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses as well as reliability analysis with item-total statistics were performed. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a 3-factor structure for social phobia, and a 2-factor structure for the SIAS, with the second factor containing both reversely scored items. The abbreviated versions of SPS (11 items) and SIAS (10 items) show excellent discriminant and construct validity (Cronbach's α=.90 and .92), while specificity analysis showed that gender, marital status and educational level (SIAS(10): p<.0005; SPS(11): p<.0005) are important determinants of social anxiety. In the general population, social interaction anxiety and social phobia are two aspects of a higher-order factor of social anxiety. Social anxiety is validly captured by the short versions of SPS and SIAS, reducing the questionnaire burden for participants in epidemiological and biobehavioral research. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. The Generic Short Patient Experiences Questionnaire (GS-PEQ): identification of core items from a survey in Norway

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Questionnaires are commonly used to collect patient, or user, experiences with health care encounters; however, their adaption to specific target groups limits comparison between groups. We present the construction of a generic questionnaire (maximum of ten questions) for user evaluation across a range of health care services. Methods Based on previous testing of six group-specific questionnaires, we first constructed a generic questionnaire with 23 items related to user experiences. All questions included a "not applicable" response option, as well as a follow-up question about the item's importance. Nine user groups from one health trust were surveyed. Seven groups received questionnaires by mail and two by personal distribution. Selection of core questions was based on three criteria: applicability (proportion "not applicable"), importance (mean scores on follow-up questions), and comprehensiveness (content coverage, maximum two items per dimension). Results 1324 questionnaires were returned providing subsample sizes ranging from 52 to 323. Ten questions were excluded because the proportion of "not applicable" responses exceeded 20% in at least one user group. The number of remaining items was reduced to ten by applying the two other criteria. The final short questionnaire included items on outcome (2), clinician services (2), user involvement (2), incorrect treatment (1), information (1), organisation (1), and accessibility (1). Conclusion The Generic Short Patient Experiences Questionnaire (GS-PEQ) is a short, generic set of questions on user experiences with specialist health care that covers important topics for a range of groups. It can be used alone or with other instruments in quality assessment or in research. The psychometric properties and the relevance of the GS-PEQ in other health care settings and countries need further evaluation. PMID:21510871

  15. Construction and Validation of Attitudes Toward Plagiarism Questionnaire

    PubMed Central

    Mavrinac, Martina; Brumini, Gordana; Bilić-Zulle, Lidija; Petrovečki, Mladen

    2010-01-01

    Aim To develop and test the psychometric characteristics of a questionnaire measuring attitudes toward plagiarism. Methods Participants were 227 undergraduates and graduate students from three Croatian universities, with a median age of 21 years (range 18 to 48). Research was conducted from March to June 2009. For the purpose of construction of the first version of the questionnaire, 67 statements (items) were developed. The statements were based on the relevant literature and were developed following rules and recommendations for questionnaire writing, and 36 items were chosen for final validation. Factor analysis was used to find out the factor structure of the questionnaire and to measure construct validity. Results The final version of the questionnaire consisted of 29 items divided into a three-factor structure: factor I – positive attitude toward plagiarism (12 items); factor II – negative attitude toward plagiarism (7 items); and factor III – subjective norms toward plagiarism (10 items). Cronbach α was calculated to confirm the reliability of the scale: factor I – α = 0.83; factor II – α = 0.79; and factor III – α = 0.85. Correlations between factors were: -0.37 between I and II, -0.41 between I and III, and +0.31 between II and III. Conclusion Attitudes Toward Plagiarism questionnaire was developed, with good psychometric characteristics. It will be used in future research as a standardized tool for measuring attitudes toward plagiarism. PMID:20564761

  16. The development of the lunchtime enjoyment of activity and play questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Hyndman, Brendon; Telford, Amanda; Finch, Caroline; Ullah, Shahid; Benson, Amanda C

    2013-04-01

    Enjoyment of physical activity is as an important determinant of children's participation in physical activity. Despite this, there is an absence of reliable measures for assessing children's enjoyment of play activities during school lunchtime. The purpose of this study was to develop and assess the reliability of the Lunchtime Enjoyment of Activity and Play (LEAP) Questionnaire. Questionnaire items were categorized employing a social-ecological framework including intrapersonal (20 items), interpersonal (2 items), and physical environment/policy (17 items) components to identify the broader influences on children's enjoyment. An identical questionnaire was administered on 2 occasions, 10  days apart, to 176 children aged 8-12  years, attending a government elementary school in regional Victoria, Australia. Test-retest reliability confirmed that 35 of 39 LEAP Questionnaire items had at least moderate kappa agreement ranging from .44 to .78. Although 4 individual kappa values were low, median kappa scores for each aggregated social-ecological component reached at least moderate agreement (.44-.60). This study confirms the LEAP Questionnaire to be a reliable, context-specific instrument with sound content, and face validity that employs a social-ecological framework to assess children's enjoyment of school play and lunchtime activities. © 2013, American School Health Association.

  17. Cognitive Distortions Associated with Imagination of the Thin Ideal: Validation of the Thought-Shape Fusion Body Questionnaire (TSF-B)

    PubMed Central

    Wyssen, Andrea; Debbeler, Luka J.; Meyer, Andrea H.; Coelho, Jennifer S.; Humbel, Nadine; Schuck, Kathrin; Lennertz, Julia; Messerli-Bürgy, Nadine; Biedert, Esther; Trier, Stephan N.; Isenschmid, Bettina; Milos, Gabriella; Whinyates, Katherina; Schneider, Silvia; Munsch, Simone

    2017-01-01

    Thought-shape fusion (TSF) describes the experience of body-related cognitive distortions associated with eating disorder (ED) pathology. In the laboratory TSF has been activated by thoughts about fattening/forbidden foods and thin ideals. This study aims at validating a questionnaire to assess the trait susceptibility to TSF (i.e., body-related cognitive distortions) associated with the imagination of thin ideals, and developing an adapted version of the original TSF trait questionnaire, the Thought-Shape Fusion Body Questionnaire (TSF-B). Healthy control women (HC, n = 317) and women diagnosed with subthreshold and clinical EDs (n = 243) completed an online-questionnaire. The factor structure of the TSF-B questionnaire was examined using exploratory (EFA) and subsequent confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). EFA pointed to a two-factor solution, confirmed by CFA. Subscale 1 was named Imagination of thin ideals, containing five items referring to the imagination of female thin ideals. Subscale 2 was named Striving for own thin ideal, with seven items about pursuing/abandoning attempts to reach one’s own thin ideal. The total scale and both subscales showed good convergent validity, excellent reliability, and good ability to discriminate between individuals with subthreshold/clinical EDs and HCs. Results indicate that cognitive distortions are also related to the imagination of thin ideals, and are associated with ED pathology. With two subscales, the TSF-B trait questionnaire appropriately measures this construct. Future studies should clarify whether TSF-B is predictive for the development and course of EDs. Assessing cognitive distortions with the TSF-B questionnaire could improve understanding of EDs and stimulate the development of cognitively oriented interventions. Clinical Trial Registration Number: DRKS-ID: DRKS00005709. PMID:29312059

  18. Construct Validation of a Multidimensional Computerized Adaptive Test for Fatigue in Rheumatoid Arthritis

    PubMed Central

    Nikolaus, Stephanie; Bode, Christina; Taal, Erik; Vonkeman, Harald E.; Glas, Cees A. W.; van de Laar, Mart A. F. J.

    2015-01-01

    Objective Multidimensional computerized adaptive testing enables precise measurements of patient-reported outcomes at an individual level across different dimensions. This study examined the construct validity of a multidimensional computerized adaptive test (CAT) for fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods The ‘CAT Fatigue RA’ was constructed based on a previously calibrated item bank. It contains 196 items and three dimensions: ‘severity’, ‘impact’ and ‘variability’ of fatigue. The CAT was administered to 166 patients with RA. They also completed a traditional, multidimensional fatigue questionnaire (BRAF-MDQ) and the SF-36 in order to examine the CAT’s construct validity. A priori criterion for construct validity was that 75% of the correlations between the CAT dimensions and the subscales of the other questionnaires were as expected. Furthermore, comprehensive use of the item bank, measurement precision and score distribution were investigated. Results The a priori criterion for construct validity was supported for two of the three CAT dimensions (severity and impact but not for variability). For severity and impact, 87% of the correlations with the subscales of the well-established questionnaires were as expected but for variability, 53% of the hypothesised relations were found. Eighty-nine percent of the items were selected between one and 137 times for CAT administrations. Measurement precision was excellent for the severity and impact dimensions, with more than 90% of the CAT administrations reaching a standard error below 0.32. The variability dimension showed good measurement precision with 90% of the CAT administrations reaching a standard error below 0.44. No floor- or ceiling-effects were found for the three dimensions. Conclusion The CAT Fatigue RA showed good construct validity and excellent measurement precision on the dimensions severity and impact. The dimension variability had less ideal measurement characteristics, pointing to the need to recalibrate the CAT item bank with a two-dimensional model, solely consisting of severity and impact. PMID:26710104

  19. Measuring patients' satisfaction with pharmaceutical services at a public hospital in Qatar.

    PubMed

    Khudair, Imran Fahmi; Raza, Syed Asif

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this paper is to study pharmacy service impact on patient satisfaction and to determine what factors saliently link with pharmaceutical service performance at Hamad General Hospital. A patient satisfaction questionnaire was designed using the literature and consultation with Hamad General Hospital medical experts. The questionnaire contained 22 items that focused on five influencing factors: promptness; attitude; supply; location; medication education; and respondent demographic aspects. A total of 220 respondents completed the questionnaire. An exploratory factor analysis was used to group items and a structural equation model was developed to test causality between five factors along with their influence on patient satisfaction. The study establishes statistical evidence that patient satisfaction is positively influenced by service promptness, pharmacist attitude, medication counseling, pharmacy location and waiting area. Several socio-demographic characteristics have statistically different effect on satisfaction, notably: gender; marital status; health status; age; educational level; and ethnicity. However, medication supply did not influence patient satisfaction. Pharmaceutical services are recognized as an essential healthcare-system component. Their impact on customer satisfaction has been investigated in many countries; however, there is no such study in Qatar. The findings identify pharmaceutical service performance indicators and provide guidelines to improve Qatari pharmaceutical services.

  20. Pesticide applicators questionnaire content validation: A fuzzy delphi method.

    PubMed

    Manakandan, S K; Rosnah, I; Mohd Ridhuan, J; Priya, R

    2017-08-01

    The most crucial step in forming a set of survey questionnaire is deciding the appropriate items in a construct. Retaining irrelevant items and removing important items will certainly mislead the direction of a particular study. This article demonstrates Fuzzy Delphi method as one of the scientific analysis technique to consolidate consensus agreement within a panel of experts pertaining to each item's appropriateness. This method reduces the ambiguity, diversity, and discrepancy of the opinions among the experts hence enhances the quality of the selected items. The main purpose of this study was to obtain experts' consensus on the suitability of the preselected items on the questionnaire. The panel consists of sixteen experts from the Occupational and Environmental Health Unit of Ministry of Health, Vector-borne Disease Control Unit of Ministry of Health and Occupational and Safety Health Unit of both public and private universities. A set of questionnaires related to noise and chemical exposure were compiled based on the literature search. There was a total of six constructs with 60 items in which three constructs for knowledge, attitude, and practice of noise exposure and three constructs for knowledge, attitude, and practice of chemical exposure. The validation process replicated recent Fuzzy Delphi method that using a concept of Triangular Fuzzy Numbers and Defuzzification process. A 100% response rate was obtained from all the sixteen experts with an average Likert scoring of four to five. Post FDM analysis, the first prerequisite was fulfilled with a threshold value (d) ≤ 0.2, hence all the six constructs were accepted. For the second prerequisite, three items (21%) from noise-attitude construct and four items (40%) from chemical-practice construct had expert consensus lesser than 75%, which giving rise to about 12% from the total items in the questionnaire. The third prerequisite was used to rank the items within the constructs by calculating the average fuzzy numbers. The seven items which did not fulfill the second prerequisite similarly had lower ranks during the analysis, therefore those items were discarded from the final draft. Post FDM analysis, the experts' consensus on the suitability of the pre-selected items on the questionnaire set were obtained, hence it is now ready for further construct validation process.

  1. Mokken scale analysis of mental health and well-being questionnaire item responses: a non-parametric IRT method in empirical research for applied health researchers

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Mokken scaling techniques are a useful tool for researchers who wish to construct unidimensional tests or use questionnaires that comprise multiple binary or polytomous items. The stochastic cumulative scaling model offered by this approach is ideally suited when the intention is to score an underlying latent trait by simple addition of the item response values. In our experience, the Mokken model appears to be less well-known than for example the (related) Rasch model, but is seeing increasing use in contemporary clinical research and public health. Mokken's method is a generalisation of Guttman scaling that can assist in the determination of the dimensionality of tests or scales, and enables consideration of reliability, without reliance on Cronbach's alpha. This paper provides a practical guide to the application and interpretation of this non-parametric item response theory method in empirical research with health and well-being questionnaires. Methods Scalability of data from 1) a cross-sectional health survey (the Scottish Health Education Population Survey) and 2) a general population birth cohort study (the National Child Development Study) illustrate the method and modeling steps for dichotomous and polytomous items respectively. The questionnaire data analyzed comprise responses to the 12 item General Health Questionnaire, under the binary recoding recommended for screening applications, and the ordinal/polytomous responses to the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. Results and conclusions After an initial analysis example in which we select items by phrasing (six positive versus six negatively worded items) we show that all items from the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) – when binary scored – were scalable according to the double monotonicity model, in two short scales comprising six items each (Bech’s “well-being” and “distress” clinical scales). An illustration of ordinal item analysis confirmed that all 14 positively worded items of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) met criteria for the monotone homogeneity model but four items violated double monotonicity with respect to a single underlying dimension. Software availability and commands used to specify unidimensionality and reliability analysis and graphical displays for diagnosing monotone homogeneity and double monotonicity are discussed, with an emphasis on current implementations in freeware. PMID:22686586

  2. Mokken scale analysis of mental health and well-being questionnaire item responses: a non-parametric IRT method in empirical research for applied health researchers.

    PubMed

    Stochl, Jan; Jones, Peter B; Croudace, Tim J

    2012-06-11

    Mokken scaling techniques are a useful tool for researchers who wish to construct unidimensional tests or use questionnaires that comprise multiple binary or polytomous items. The stochastic cumulative scaling model offered by this approach is ideally suited when the intention is to score an underlying latent trait by simple addition of the item response values. In our experience, the Mokken model appears to be less well-known than for example the (related) Rasch model, but is seeing increasing use in contemporary clinical research and public health. Mokken's method is a generalisation of Guttman scaling that can assist in the determination of the dimensionality of tests or scales, and enables consideration of reliability, without reliance on Cronbach's alpha. This paper provides a practical guide to the application and interpretation of this non-parametric item response theory method in empirical research with health and well-being questionnaires. Scalability of data from 1) a cross-sectional health survey (the Scottish Health Education Population Survey) and 2) a general population birth cohort study (the National Child Development Study) illustrate the method and modeling steps for dichotomous and polytomous items respectively. The questionnaire data analyzed comprise responses to the 12 item General Health Questionnaire, under the binary recoding recommended for screening applications, and the ordinal/polytomous responses to the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. After an initial analysis example in which we select items by phrasing (six positive versus six negatively worded items) we show that all items from the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12)--when binary scored--were scalable according to the double monotonicity model, in two short scales comprising six items each (Bech's "well-being" and "distress" clinical scales). An illustration of ordinal item analysis confirmed that all 14 positively worded items of the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) met criteria for the monotone homogeneity model but four items violated double monotonicity with respect to a single underlying dimension.Software availability and commands used to specify unidimensionality and reliability analysis and graphical displays for diagnosing monotone homogeneity and double monotonicity are discussed, with an emphasis on current implementations in freeware.

  3. Getting the story straight: evaluating the test-retest reliability of a university health history questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Gilkison, C R; Fenton, M V; Lester, J W

    1992-05-01

    This study was designed to establish the reliability of a health history questionnaire used as a screening tool for incoming university students. The authors used a test-retest design, with a test interval of 6 months, on a sample of medical and nursing students. The analysis focused on overall reliability of the questionnaire and reproducibility of specific items, based on question format. Questionnaire items of specific interest were those with dichotomous yes/no response options versus open-ended format questions, those using the words frequently or recently, or those that asked multiple questions. Demographic characteristics of the subjects were considered in the evaluation of reliability. Overall reliability of the questionnaire (93.6%) was above the anticipated level of 90%, and subject sex or program of study did not show any significant differences in reproducibility of responses. Although wording of questions did not affect item reliability, dichotomous format questions demonstrated a higher degree of reliability (96.4%) than the overall reliability of the questionnaire. Recommendations for enhancing the reliability of the questionnaire are based on item analysis and information gathered from interviews with subjects.

  4. The influence of item order on intentional response distortion in the assessment of high potentials: assessing pilot applicants.

    PubMed

    Khorramdel, Lale; Kubinger, Klaus D; Uitz, Alexander

    2014-04-01

    An experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of item order and questionnaire content on faking good or intentional response distortion. It was hypothesized that intentional response distortion would either increase towards the end of a long questionnaire, as learning effects might make it easier to adjust responses to a faking good schema, or decrease because applicants' will to distort responses is reduced if the questionnaire lasts long enough. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that certain types of questionnaire content are especially vulnerable to response distortion. Eighty-four pre-selected pilot applicants filled out a questionnaire consisting of 516 items including items from the NEO five factor inventory (NEO FFI), NEO personality inventory revised (NEO PI-R) and business-focused inventory of personality (BIP). The positions of the items were varied within the applicant sample to test if responses are affected by item order, and applicants' response behaviour was additionally compared to that of volunteers. Applicants reported significantly higher mean scores than volunteers, and results provide some evidence of decreased faking tendencies towards the end of the questionnaire. Furthermore, it could be demonstrated that lower variances or standard deviations in combination with appropriate (often higher) mean scores can serve as an indicator for faking tendencies in group comparisons, even if effects are not significant. © 2013 International Union of Psychological Science.

  5. The Virtual Care Climate Questionnaire: Development and Validation of a Questionnaire Measuring Perceived Support for Autonomy in a Virtual Care Setting.

    PubMed

    Smit, Eline Suzanne; Dima, Alexandra Lelia; Immerzeel, Stephanie Annette Maria; van den Putte, Bas; Williams, Geoffrey Colin

    2017-05-08

    Web-based health behavior change interventions may be more effective if they offer autonomy-supportive communication facilitating the internalization of motivation for health behavior change. Yet, at this moment no validated tools exist to assess user-perceived autonomy-support of such interventions. The aim of this study was to develop and validate the virtual climate care questionnaire (VCCQ), a measure of perceived autonomy-support in a virtual care setting. Items were developed based on existing questionnaires and expert consultation and were pretested among experts and target populations. The virtual climate care questionnaire was administered in relation to Web-based interventions aimed at reducing consumption of alcohol (Study 1; N=230) or cannabis (Study 2; N=228). Item properties, structural validity, and reliability were examined with item-response and classical test theory methods, and convergent and divergent validity via correlations with relevant concepts. In Study 1, 20 of 23 items formed a one-dimensional scale (alpha=.97; omega=.97; H=.66; mean 4.9 [SD 1.0]; range 1-7) that met the assumptions of monotonicity and invariant item ordering. In Study 2, 16 items fitted these criteria (alpha=.92; H=.45; omega=.93; mean 4.2 [SD 1.1]; range 1-7). Only 15 items remained in the questionnaire in both studies, thus we proceeded to the analyses of the questionnaire's reliability and construct validity with a 15-item version of the virtual climate care questionnaire. Convergent validity of the resulting 15-item virtual climate care questionnaire was confirmed by positive associations with autonomous motivation (Study 1: r=.66, P<.001; Study 2: r=.37, P<.001) and perceived competence for reducing alcohol intake (Study 1: r=.52, P<.001). Divergent validity could only be confirmed by the nonsignificant association with perceived competence for learning (Study 2: r=.05, P=.48). The virtual climate care questionnaire accurately assessed participants' perceived autonomy-support offered by two Web-based health behavior change interventions. Overall, the scale showed the expected properties and relationships with relevant concepts, and the studies presented suggest this first version of the virtual climate care questionnaire to be reasonably valid and reliable. As a result, the current version may cautiously be used in future research and practice to measure perceived support for autonomy within a virtual care climate. Future research efforts are required that focus on further investigating the virtual climate care questionnaire's divergent validity, on determining the virtual climate care questionnaire's validity and reliability when used in the context of Web-based interventions aimed at improving nonaddictive or other health behaviors, and on developing and validating a short form virtual climate care questionnaire. ©Eline Suzanne Smit, Alexandra Lelia Dima, Stephanie Annette Maria Immerzeel, Bas van den Putte, Geoffrey Colin Williams. Originally published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (http://www.jmir.org), 08.05.2017.

  6. Measuring Acceptance of Sleep Difficulties: The Development of the Sleep Problem Acceptance Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Bothelius, Kristoffer; Jernelöv, Susanna; Fredrikson, Mats; McCracken, Lance M; Kaldo, Viktor

    2015-11-01

    Acceptance may be an important therapeutic process in sleep medicine, but valid psychometric instruments measuring acceptance related to sleep difficulties are lacking. The purpose of this study was to develop a measure of acceptance in insomnia, and to examine its factor structure as well as construct validity. In a cross-sectional design, a principal component analysis for item reduction was conducted on a first sample (A) and a confirmatory factor analysis on a second sample (B). Construct validity was tested on a combined sample (C). Questionnaire items were derived from a measure of acceptance in chronic pain, and data were gathered through screening or available from pretreatment assessments in four insomnia treatment trials, administered online, via bibliotherapy and in primary care. Adults with insomnia: 372 in sample A and 215 in sample B. Sample C (n = 820) included sample A and B with another 233 participants added. Construct validity was assessed through relations with established acceptance and sleep scales. The principal component analysis presented a two-factor solution with eight items, explaining 65.9% of the total variance. The confirmatory factor analysis supported the solution. Acceptance of sleep problems was more closely related to subjective symptoms and consequences of insomnia than to diary description of sleep, or to acceptance of general private events. The Sleep Problem Acceptance Questionnaire (SPAQ), containing the subscales "Activity Engagement" and "Willingness", is a valid tool to assess acceptance of insomnia. © 2015 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

  7. Validation of an instrument to assess barriers to care-seeking for accidental bowel leakage in women: the BCABL questionnaire

    PubMed Central

    Brown, Heidi Wendell; Wise, Meg E.; Westenberg, Danielle; Schmuhl, Nicholas B.; Brezoczky, Kelly Lewis; Rogers, Rebecca G.; Constantine, Melissa L.

    2017-01-01

    Introduction and hypothesis Fewer than 30% of women with accidental bowel leakage (ABL) seek care, despite the existence of effective, minimally invasive therapies. We developed and validated a condition-specific instrument to assess barriers to care-seeking for ABL in women. Methods Adult women with ABL completed an electronic survey about condition severity, patient activation, previous care-seeking, and demographics. The Barriers to Care-seeking for Accidental Bowel Leakage (BCABL) instrument contained 42 potential items completed at baseline and again 2 weeks later. Paired t tests evaluated test–retest reliability. Factor analysis evaluated factor structure and guided item retention. Cronbach’s alpha evaluated internal consistency. Within and across factor item means generated a summary BCABL score used to evaluate scale validity with six external criterion measures. Results Among 1,677 click-throughs, 736 (44%) entered the survey; 95% of eligible female respondents (427 out of 458) provided complete data. Fifty-three percent of respondents had previously sought care for their ABL; median age was 62 years (range 27–89); mean Vaizey score was 12.8 (SD = 5.0), indicating moderate to severe ABL. Test–retest reliability was excellent for all items. Factor extraction via oblique rotation resulted in the final structure of 16 items in six domains, within which internal consistency was high. All six external criterion measures correlated significantly with BCABL score. Conclusions The BCABL questionnaire, with 16 items mapping to six domains, has excellent criterion validity and test–retest reliability when administered electronically in women with ABL. The BCABL can be used to identify care-seeking barriers for ABL in different populations, inform targeted interventions, and measure their effectiveness. PMID:28236039

  8. National Household Education Surveys of 2003. Data File User's Manual, Volume II: Parent and Family Involvement in Education Survey. NCES 2004-102

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hagedorn, Mary; Montaquila, Jill; Vaden-Kiernan, Nancy; Kim, Kwang; Roth, Shelley Brock; Chapman, Christopher

    2004-01-01

    This manual provides documentation and guidance for users of the public-use data file for PFI-NHES: 2003. This volume contains a description of the content and organization of the data file, including useful information regarding questionnaire items and the various derived variables found on the file. Appended are the public-use data file layout,…

  9. National Household Education Surveys of 2003: Data File User's Manual, Volume III. Adult Education for Work-Related Reasons Survey. NCES 2004-103

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hagedorn, Mary; Montaquila, Jill; Vaden-Kiernan, Nancy; Kim, Kwang; Roth, Shelley Brock; Chapman, Christopher

    2004-01-01

    This manual provides documentation and guidance for users of the public-use data file for the AEWR-NHES:2003 survey. This volume contains a description of the content and organization of the data file, including useful information regarding questionnaire items and the various derived variables found on the file. The reader should especially note…

  10. The development and initial validation of a questionnaire to measure help-seeking behaviour in patients with new onset rheumatoid arthritis.

    PubMed

    Stack, Rebecca J; Mallen, Christian D; Deighton, Chris; Kiely, Patrick; Shaw, Karen L; Booth, Alison; Kumar, Kanta; Thomas, Susan; Rowan, Ian; Horne, Rob; Nightingale, Peter; Herron-Marx, Sandy; Jinks, Clare; Raza, Karim

    2015-12-01

    Early treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is vital. However, people often delay in seeking help at symptom onset. An assessment of the reasons behind patient delay is necessary to develop interventions to promote rapid consultation. Using a mixed methods design, we aimed to develop and test a questionnaire to assess the barriers to help seeking at RA onset. Questionnaire items were extracted from previous qualitative studies. Fifteen people with a lived experience of arthritis participated in focus groups to enhance the questionnaire's face validity. The questionnaire was also reviewed by groups of multidisciplinary health-care professionals. A test-retest survey of 41 patients with newly presenting RA or unclassified arthritis assessed the questionnaire items' intraclass correlations. During focus groups, participants rephrased questions, added questions and deleted items not relevant to the questionnaire's aims. Participants organized items into themes: early symptom experience, initial reactions to symptoms, self-management behaviours, causal beliefs, involvement of significant others, pre-diagnosis knowledge about RA, direct barriers to seeking help and relationship with GP. The test-retest survey identified seven items (out of 79) with low intraclass correlations which were removed from the final questionnaire. The involvement of people with a lived experience of arthritis and multidisciplinary health-care professionals in the preliminary validation of the DELAY (delays in evaluating arthritis early) questionnaire has enriched its development. Preliminary assessment established its reliability. The DELAY questionnaire provides a tool for researchers to evaluate individual, cultural and health service barriers to help-seeking behaviour at RA onset. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  11. [Validation of a questionnaire to evaluate patient safety in clinical laboratories].

    PubMed

    Giménez Marín, Ángeles; Rivas-Ruiz, Francisco

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this study was to prepare, pilot and validate a questionnaire to evaluate patient safety in the specific context of clinical laboratories. A specific questionnaire on patient safety in the laboratory, with 62 items grouped into six areas, was developed, taking into consideration the diverse human and laboratory contextual factors which may contribute to producing errors. A pilot study of 30 interviews was carried out, including validity and reliability analyses using principal components factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha. Subsequently, 240 questionnaires were sent to 21 hospitals, followed by a test-retest of 41 questionnaires with the definitive version. The sample analyzed was composed of 225 questionnaires (an overall response rate of 80%). Of the 62 items initially assessed, 17 were eliminated due to non-compliance with the criteria established before the principal components factor analysis was performed. For the 45 remaining items, 12 components were identified, with an cumulative variance of 69.5%. In seven of the 10 components with two or more items, Cronbach's alpha was higher than 0.7. The questionnaire items assessed in the test-retest were found to be stable. We present the first questionnaire with sufficiently proven validity and reliability for evaluating patient safety in the specific context of clinical laboratories. This questionnaire provides a useful instrument to perform a subsequent macrostudy of hospital clinical laboratories in Spain. The questionnaire can also be used to monitor and promote commitment to patient safety within the search for continuous quality improvement. Copyright © 2011 SESPAS. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  12. Development of a consensus core dataset in juvenile dermatomyositis for clinical use to inform research

    PubMed Central

    McCann, Liza J; Pilkington, Clarissa A; Huber, Adam M; Ravelli, Angelo; Appelbe, Duncan; Kirkham, Jamie J; Williamson, Paula R; Aggarwal, Amita; Christopher-Stine, Lisa; Constantin, Tamas; Feldman, Brian M; Lundberg, Ingrid; Maillard, Sue; Mathiesen, Pernille; Murphy, Ruth; Pachman, Lauren M; Reed, Ann M; Rider, Lisa G; van Royen-Kerkof, Annet; Russo, Ricardo; Spinty, Stefan; Wedderburn, Lucy R

    2018-01-01

    Objectives This study aimed to develop consensus on an internationally agreed dataset for juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM), designed for clinical use, to enhance collaborative research and allow integration of data between centres. Methods A prototype dataset was developed through a formal process that included analysing items within existing databases of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. This template was used to aid a structured multistage consensus process. Exploiting Delphi methodology, two web-based questionnaires were distributed to healthcare professionals caring for patients with JDM identified through email distribution lists of international paediatric rheumatology and myositis research groups. A separate questionnaire was sent to parents of children with JDM and patients with JDM, identified through established research networks and patient support groups. The results of these parallel processes informed a face-to-face nominal group consensus meeting of international myositis experts, tasked with defining the content of the dataset. This developed dataset was tested in routine clinical practice before review and finalisation. Results A dataset containing 123 items was formulated with an accompanying glossary. Demographic and diagnostic data are contained within form A collected at baseline visit only, disease activity measures are included within form B collected at every visit and disease damage items within form C collected at baseline and annual visits thereafter. Conclusions Through a robust international process, a consensus dataset for JDM has been formulated that can capture disease activity and damage over time. This dataset can be incorporated into national and international collaborative efforts, including existing clinical research databases. PMID:29084729

  13. Classification of natural and supernatural causes of mental distress. Development of a Mental Distress Explanatory Model Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Eisenbruch, M

    1990-11-01

    This paper describes the background and development of a Mental Distress Explanatory Model Questionnaire designed to explore how people from different cultures explain mental distress. A 45-item questionnaire was developed with items derived from the Murdock et al. categories, with additional items covering western notions of physiological causation and stress. The questionnaire was administered to 261 people, mostly college students. Multi-dimensional scaling analysis shows four clusters of mental distress: a) stress; b) western physiological; c) nonwestern physiological; and d) supernatural. These clusters form two dimensions: western physiological vs. supernatural and impersonal vs. personalistic explanations. Natural and stress items are separated from supernatural and nonwestern physiological items along the first dimension. Brain damage, physical illness, and genetic defects have the greatest separation along the first dimension. Being hot, the body being out of balance, and wind currents passing through the body most strongly represent the non-western physiological category. The questionnaire has the potential to be used for community health screening and for monitoring patient care, as well as with students in the health sciences and with health practitioners.

  14. Ordinal-To-Interval Scale Conversion Tables and National Items for the New Zealand Version of the WHOQOL-BREF

    PubMed Central

    Billington, D. Rex; Hsu, Patricia Hsien-Chuan; Feng, Xuan Joanna; Medvedev, Oleg N.; Kersten, Paula; Landon, Jason; Siegert, Richard J.

    2016-01-01

    The World Health Organisation Quality of Life (WHOQOL) questionnaires are widely used around the world and can claim strong cross-cultural validity due to their development in collaboration with international field centres. To enhance conceptual equivalence of quality of life across cultures, optional national items are often developed for use alongside the core instrument. The present study outlines the development of national items for the New Zealand WHOQOL-BREF. Focus groups with members of the community as well as health experts discussed what constitutes quality of life in their opinion. Based on themes extracted of aspects not contained in the existing WHOQOL instrument, 46 candidate items were generated and subsequently rated for their importance by a random sample of 585 individuals from the general population. Applying importance criteria reduced these items to 24, which were then sent to another large random sample (n = 808) to be rated alongside the existing WHOQOL-BREF. A final set of five items met the criteria for national items. Confirmatory factor analysis identified four national items as belonging to the psychological domain of quality of life, and one item to the social domain. Rasch analysis validated these results and generated ordinal-to-interval conversion algorithms to allow use of parametric statistics for domain scores with and without national items. PMID:27812203

  15. Outcomes of xerostomia-related quality of life for nasopharyngeal carcinoma treated by IMRT: based on the EORTC QLQ-C30 and H&N35 questionnaires.

    PubMed

    Bian, Xiuhua; Song, Tao; Wu, Shixiu

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to review the published literature addressing the question of whether intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) resulted in an improvement of quality of life (QoL), especially xerostomia-related QoL of all nasopharyngeal carcinoma patients as time progressed. A literature search of PubMed, Embase and Google Scholar was performed, only reports containing original data of the QoL scores after treated by IMRT were included. Two independent reviewers extracted information of study design, study population, interventions, outcome measures and conclusions for each article. The inclusion criteria were met by 14 articles covering outcomes based on the questionnaires treated by IMRT. Data from same questionnaires (European Organization of Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and H&N35 questionnaires) were exacted and we analyzed four items (global health status, dry mouth and sticky saliva, swallowing, social eating and social contact), which have a close relationship with xerostomia-related QoL. Results indicated that a maximal deterioration of most QoL scales including global health status developed during treatment or at the end of the treatment course and then followed by a gradual recovery to 1 year, 1-2 years after IMRT, compared with their baseline level, some specific head and neck items, most in the EORTC QLQ H&N35, remained worse for the surviving patients. In conclusion, the published data reasonably support the benefits of IMRT in improving QoL, but xerostomia-related items still had a significantly negative effect in 2 years to impact a survivor's QoL.

  16. Effect of inapplicable items in the factor structure of the Spanish version of the Ways of Coping Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    de Minzi, M C; Sacchi, C

    2001-02-01

    The aim of this work was to examine how the presence of inapplicable items might change the factor structure of the 1984 Ways of Coping Questionnaire by Lazarus and Folkman. The Spanish version of the Ways of Coping Questionnaire was administered to 156 subjects with university degrees. The 95 women and 61 men whose ages were from 18 and 45 years (M = 27.8, SD = 12.1) were of middle socioeconomic status. All were residents of Buenos Aires. To study whether relevant items modify the factor structure of the Ways of Coping Questionnaire, two factor analyses were carried out, one with items rated as not relevant (Item Mean) and the other with the same items rated as not chosen. In both factor analyses, principal axes method and oblimin rotation were performed, and five factors were considered. Congruence indexes were performed. Analysis showed that not choosing an item because it does not coincide with one's behavior or ideas is not the same as not selecting that item because it does not apply to the current threatening situation. Lack of discrimination between situations when analyzing data leads to a distorted interpretation of the way in which the subject actually behaves or copes with the situation.

  17. Factoring handedness data: I. Item analysis.

    PubMed

    Messinger, H B; Messinger, M I

    1995-12-01

    Recently in this journal Peters and Murphy challenged the validity of factor analyses done on bimodal handedness data, suggesting instead that right- and left-handers be studied separately. But bimodality may be avoidable if attention is paid to Oldfield's questionnaire format and instructions for the subjects. Two characteristics appear crucial: a two-column LEFT-RIGHT format for the body of the instrument and what we call Oldfield's Admonition: not to indicate strong preference for handedness item, such as write, unless "... the preference is so strong that you would never try to use the other hand unless absolutely forced to...". Attaining unimodality of an item distribution would seem to overcome the objections of Peters and Murphy. In a 1984 survey in Boston we used Oldfield's ten-item questionnaire exactly as published. This produced unimodal item distributions. With reflection of the five-point item scale and a logarithmic transformation, we achieved a degree of normalization for the items. Two surveys elsewhere based on Oldfield's 20-item list but with changes in the questionnaire format and the instructions, yielded markedly different item distributions with peaks at each extreme and sometimes in the middle as well.

  18. Awareness assessment of harmful effects of mercury in a health care set-up in India: A survey-based study.

    PubMed

    Halder, Nabanita; Peshin, Sharda Shah; Pandey, Ravindra Mohan; Gupta, Yogendra Kumar

    2015-12-01

    Mercury, one of the most toxic heavy metals, is ubiquitous in environment. The adverse health impact of mercury on living organisms is well known. The health care facilities are one of the important sources of mercury release into the atmosphere as mercury items are extensively used in hospitals. To assess the awareness about mercury toxicity and the knowledge of proper handling and disposal of mercury-containing items in health care set-up, a questionnaire-based survey was carried out amongst doctors (n = 835), nurses (n = 610) and technicians (n = 393) in government hospitals, corporate hospitals and primary health care centres in the Indian states of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana. The study was conducted using a tool-containing pretested structured multiple-choice questionnaire. Analysis of the results using STATA 11.1 software highlighted that overall awareness was more in corporate sector. However, percentage range of knowledge of respondents irrespective of health care sector was only between 20 and 40%. Despite the commitment of various hospitals to be mercury free, mercury containing-thermometer/sphygmomanometer are still preferred by health professionals. The likely reasons are availability, affordability, accuracy and convenience in use. There is an urgent need for source reduction, recycling and waste minimization. Emphasis must be laid on mercury alternative products, education and training of health personnel and public at large, about correct handling and proper clean up of spills. © The Author(s) 2013.

  19. PREDICTION OF RELIABILITY IN BIOGRAPHICAL QUESTIONNAIRES.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    STARRY, ALLAN R.

    THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS STUDY WERE (1) TO DEVELOP A GENERAL CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM FOR LIFE HISTORY ITEMS, (2) TO DETERMINE TEST-RETEST RELIABILITY ESTIMATES, AND (3) TO ESTIMATE RESISTANCE TO EXAMINEE FAKING, FOR REPRESENTATIVE BIOGRAPHICAL QUESTIONNAIRES. TWO 100-ITEM QUESTIONNAIRES WERE CONSTRUCTED THROUGH RANDOM ASSIGNMENT BY CONTENT AREA OF 200…

  20. New York Community Environment Study Questionnaire.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Glaser, Daniel; Snow, Mary

    This questionnaire assesses neighborhood drug problem concern, drug use practices, knowledge of drugs and agencies dealing with drugs, and views on drug education in persons aged 13 or older. The questionnaire has 31 items (multiple-choice or free response), most with several parts. The items deal with demographic and personal data, problems in…

  1. Examining Teacher Grades Using Rasch Measurement Theory

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Randall, Jennifer; Engelhard, George, Jr.

    2009-01-01

    In this study, we present an approach to questionnaire design within educational research based on Guttman's mapping sentences and Many-Facet Rasch Measurement Theory. We designed a 54-item questionnaire using Guttman's mapping sentences to examine the grading practices of teachers. Each item in the questionnaire represented a unique student…

  2. How IRT Can Solve Problems of Ipsative Data in Forced-Choice Questionnaires

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Brown, Anna; Maydeu-Olivares, Alberto

    2013-01-01

    In multidimensional forced-choice (MFC) questionnaires, items measuring different attributes are presented in blocks, and participants have to rank order the items within each block (fully or partially). Such comparative formats can reduce the impact of numerous response biases often affecting single-stimulus items (aka rating or Likert scales).…

  3. Cross-Culture Validation of the HIV/AIDS Stress Scale: The Development of a Revised Chinese Version.

    PubMed

    Niu, Lu; Qiu, Yangyang; Luo, Dan; Chen, Xi; Wang, Min; Pakenham, Kenneth I; Zhang, Xixing; Huang, Zhulin; Xiao, Shuiyuan

    2016-01-01

    Being HIV-infected is a stressful experience for many individuals. To assess HIV-related stress in the Chinese context, a measure with satisfied psychometric properties is yet underdeveloped. This study aimed to examine the psychometric characteristics of a simplified Chinese version of the HIV/AIDS Stress Scale (SS-HIV) among people living with HIV/AIDS in central China. A total of 667 people living with HIV (92% were male) were recruited from March 1st 2014 to August 31th 2015 by consecutive sampling. A standard questionnaire package containing the Chinese HIV/AIDS Stress Scale (CSS-HIV), the Chinese Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), and the Chinese Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) were administered to all participants, and 38 of the participants were selected randomly to be re-tested in four weeks after the initial testing. Our data supported that a revised 17-item CSS-HIV had adequate psychometric properties. It consisted of 3 factors: emotional stress (6 items), social stress (6 items) and instrumental stress (5 items). The overall Cronbach's α was 0.906, and the test-retest reliability coefficient was 0.832. The revised CSS-HIV was significantly correlated with the number of HIV-related symptoms, as well as scores on the PHQ-9 and GAD-7, indicating acceptable concurrent validity. The 17-item Chinese version of the SS-HIV has potential research and clinical utility in identifying important stressors among the Chinese HIV-infected population and in understanding the effects of stress on adjustment to HIV.

  4. Assessing the Evaluative Content of Personality Questionnaires Using Bifactor Models.

    PubMed

    Biderman, Michael D; McAbee, Samuel T; Job Chen, Zhuo; Hendy, Nhung T

    2018-01-01

    Exploratory bifactor models with keying factors were applied to item response data for the NEO-FFI-3 and HEXACO-PI-R questionnaires. Loadings on a general factor and positive and negative keying factors correlated with independent estimates of item valence, suggesting that item valence influences responses to these questionnaires. Correlations between personality domain scores and measures of self-esteem, depression, and positive and negative affect were all reduced significantly when the influence of evaluative content represented by the general and keying factors was removed. Findings support the need to model personality inventories in ways that capture reactions to evaluative item content.

  5. Development and Preliminary Validation of Chinese Preschoolers’ Eating Behavior Questionnaire

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Yuhai; Wang, Baoxi; Sun, Lijun; Shang, Lei

    2014-01-01

    Background The objective of this study was to develop a questionnaire for caregivers to assess the eating behavior of Chinese preschoolers. Methods To assess children’s eating behaviors, 152 items were derived from a broad review of the literature related to epidemiology surveys and the assessment of children’s eating behaviors. All of these items were reviewed by 50 caregivers of preschoolers and 10 experienced pediatricians. Seventy-seven items were selected for use in a primary questionnaire. After conducting an exploratory factor analysis and a variability analysis on the data from 313 preschoolers used to evaluate this primary questionnaire, we deleted 39 of these 77 items. A Chinese Preschoolers’ Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CPEBQ) was finally established from the remaining 38 items. The structure of this questionnaire was explored by factor analysis, and its reliability, validity and discriminative ability were evaluated with data collected from caregivers of 603 preschoolers. Results The CPEBQ consisted of 7 dimensions and 38 items. The 7 dimensions were food fussiness, food responsiveness, eating habit, satiety responsiveness, exogenous eating, emotional eating and initiative eating. The Cronbach’s α coefficient for the questionnaire was 0.92, and the test-retest reliability was 0.72. There were significant differences between the scores of normal-weight, overweight and obese preschoolers when it was referred to food fussiness, food responsiveness, eating habits, satiety responsiveness and emotional eating (p<0.05). Differences in caregiver’s education levels also had significant effects on scores for food fussiness, eating habits and exogenous eating (p<0.05). Conclusions The CPEBQ satisfies the conditions of reliability and validity, in accordance with psychometric demands. The questionnaire can be employed to evaluate the characteristics of Chinese preschoolers’ eating behaviors; therefore, it can be used in child health care practice and research. PMID:24520359

  6. Development of a questionnaire to evaluate patients' awareness of cardiovascular disease risk in England's National Health Service Health Check preventive cardiovascular programme.

    PubMed

    Woringer, Maria; Nielsen, Jessica Jones; Zibarras, Lara; Evason, Julie; Kassianos, Angelos P; Harris, Matthew; Majeed, Azeem; Soljak, Michael

    2017-09-25

    The National Health Service (NHS) Health Check is a cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment and management programme in England aiming to increase CVD risk awareness among people at increased risk of CVD. There is no tool to assess the effectiveness of the programme in communicating CVD risk to patients. The aim of this paper was to develop a questionnaire examining patients' CVD risk awareness for use in health service research evaluations of the NHS Health Check programme. We developed an 85-item questionnaire to determine patients' views of their risk of CVD. The questionnaire was based on a review of the relevant literature. After review by an expert panel and focus group discussion, 22 items were dropped and 2 new items were added. The resulting 65-item questionnaire with satisfactory content validity (content validity indices≥0.80) and face validity was tested on 110 NHS Health Check attendees in primary care in a cross-sectional study between 21 May 2014 and 28 July 2014. Following analyses of data, we reduced the questionnaire from 65 to 26 items. The 26-item questionnaire constitutes four scales: Knowledge of CVD Risk and Prevention, Perceived Risk of Heart Attack/Stroke, Perceived Benefits and Intention to Change Behaviour and Healthy Eating Intentions. Perceived Risk (Cronbach's α=0.85) and Perceived Benefits and Intention to Change Behaviour (Cronbach's α=0.82) have satisfactory reliability (Cronbach's α≥0.70). Healthy Eating Intentions (Cronbach's α=0.56) is below minimum threshold for reliability but acceptable for a three-item scale. The resulting questionnaire, with satisfactory reliability and validity, may be used in assessing patients' awareness of CVD risk among NHS Health Check attendees. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  7. Summary scores captured changes in subjects' QoL as measured by the multiple scales of the EORTC QLQ-C30.

    PubMed

    Phillips, Rachel; Gandhi, Mihir; Cheung, Yin Bun; Findlay, Michael P; Win, Khin Maung; Hai, Hoang Hoa; Yang, Jin Mo; Lobo, Rolley Rey; Soo, Khee Chee; Chow, Pierce K H

    2015-08-01

    To examine the performance of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) global health status/quality of life (QoL) scale and two summary scores to detect changes in the QoL profile over time, according to changes in the individual scales. Data came from 167 clinical trial patients with unresectable (advanced) hepatocellular carcinoma. The global health status/QoL scale of the questionnaire contained two items: overall health and overall QoL. Nordin and Hinz proposed summary scores for the questionnaire. A mixed-effect model was fitted to estimate trends in scores over time. Predominantly the individual scale scores declined over time; however, the global health status/QoL score was stable [rate of change = -0.3 per month; 95% confidence interval (CI): -1.2, 0.6]. Nordin's summary score, which gave equal weight to the 15 questionnaire scales, and Hinz's summary score, which gave equal weight to the 30 questionnaire items, showed a statistically significant decline over time, 3.4 (95% CI: -4.5, -2.4) and 4.2 (95% CI: -5.3, -3.0) points per month, respectively. In contrast to the global health status/QoL scale, the summary scores proposed by Nordin and Hinz detected changes in subjects' QoL profile described by the EORTC QLQ-C30 individual scales. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  8. Development and validation of the Chinese Attitudes to Starting Insulin Questionnaire (Ch-ASIQ) for primary care patients with type 2 diabetes.

    PubMed

    Fu, Sau Nga; Chin, Weng Yee; Wong, Carlos King Ho; Yeung, Vincent Tok Fai; Yiu, Ming Pong; Tsui, Hoi Yee; Chan, Ka Hung

    2013-01-01

    To develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a Chinese questionnaire which assesses the barriers and enablers to commencing insulin in primary care patients with poorly controlled Type 2 diabetes. Questionnaire items were identified using literature review. Content validation was performed and items were further refined using an expert panel. Following translation, back translation and cognitive debriefing, the translated Chinese questionnaire was piloted on target patients. Exploratory factor analysis and item-scale correlations were performed to test the construct validity of the subscales and items. Internal reliability was tested by Cronbach's alpha. Twenty-seven identified items underwent content validation, translation and cognitive debriefing. The translated questionnaire was piloted on 303 insulin naïve (never taken insulin) Type 2 diabetes patients recruited from 10 government-funded primary care clinics across Hong Kong. Sufficient variability in the dataset for factor analysis was confirmed by Bartlett's Test of Sphericity (P<0.001). Using exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation, 10 factors were generated onto which 26 items loaded with loading scores > 0.4 and Eigenvalues >1. Total variance for the 10 factors was 66.22%. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure was 0.725. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the first four factors were ≥0.6 identifying four sub-scales to which 13 items correlated. Remaining sub-scales and items with poor internal reliability were deleted. The final 13-item instrument had a four scale structure addressing: 'Self-image and stigmatization'; 'Factors promoting self-efficacy; 'Fear of pain or needles'; and 'Time and family support'. The Chinese Attitudes to Starting Insulin Questionnaire (Ch-ASIQ) appears to be a reliable and valid measure for assessing barriers to starting insulin. This short instrument is easy to administer and may be used by healthcare providers and researchers as an assessment tool for Chinese diabetic primary care patients, including the elderly, who are unwilling to start insulin.

  9. The development and validation of the King's Brief Interstitial Lung Disease (K-BILD) health status questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Patel, Amit S; Siegert, Richard J; Brignall, Katherine; Gordon, Patrick; Steer, Sophia; Desai, Sujal R; Maher, Toby M; Renzoni, Elisabetta A; Wells, Athol U; Higginson, Irene J; Birring, Surinder S

    2012-09-01

    Health status is impaired in patients with interstitial lung disease (ILD). There is a paucity of tools that assess health status in ILD. The objective of this study was to develop and validate the King's Brief Interstitial Lung Disease questionnaire (K-BILD), a new health status measure for patients with ILD. Patients with ILD were recruited from outpatient clinics. The development of the questionnaire consisted of three phases: item generation; item reduction, allocation to domains by factor analysis, Rasch analysis to create unidimensional scales and validation; and repeatability testing. 173 patients with ILD (49 with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis) completed a preliminary 71-item questionnaire. 56 items were removed due to redundancy, low factor loadings or poor fit to the Rasch model. The final version of the K-BILD questionnaire consisted of 15 items and three domains (breathlessness and activities, chest symptoms and psychological). Internal consistency assessed with Cronbach's α coefficient was 0.94 for the K-BILD total score. Concurrent validity of the K-BILD questionnaire was high compared with St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (r=0.90) and moderate with lung function (vital capacity, r=0.50). The K-BILD questionnaire was repeatable over 2 weeks (n=44), with intraclass correlation coefficients for domains and total score 0.86-0.94. The K-BILD construct validity for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis was similar to that of other ILDs. The K-BILD questionnaire is a brief, valid, self-completed health status measure for ILD. It could be used in the clinic to assess ILD from the patients' perspective.

  10. Development and initial validation of the Bristol Impact of Hypermobility questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Palmer, S; Cramp, F; Lewis, R; Gould, G; Clark, E M

    2017-06-01

    Stage 1 - to identify the impact of joint hypermobility syndrome (JHS) on adults; Stage 2 - to develop a questionnaire to assess the impact of JHS; and Stage 3 - to undertake item reduction and establish the questionnaire's concurrent validity. A mixed methods study employing qualitative focus groups and interviews (Stage 1); a working group of patients, clinicians and researchers, and 'think aloud' interviews (Stage 2); and quantitative analysis of questionnaire responses (Stage 3). Stages 1 and 2 took place in one secondary care hospital in the UK. Members of a UK-wide patient organisation were recruited in Stage 3. In total, 15, four and 615 participants took part in Stages 1, 2 and 3, respectively. Inclusion criteria were: age ≥18 years; diagnosis of JHS; no other conditions affecting physical function; able to give informed consent; and able to understand and communicate in English. None. The development of a questionnaire to assess the impact of JHS. Stage 1 identified a wide range of impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions In Stage 2, a draft questionnaire was developed and refined following 'think aloud' analysis, leaving 94 scored items. In Stage 3, items were removed on the basis of low severity and/or high correlation with other items. The final Bristol Impact of Hypermobility (BIoH) questionnaire had 55 scored items, and correlated well with the physical component score of the Short Form 36 health questionnaire (r=-0.725). The BIoH questionnaire demonstrated good concurrent validity. Further psychometric properties need to be established. Copyright © 2016 Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Development and validation of the quality care questionnaire -palliative care (QCQ-PC): patient-reported assessment of quality of palliative care.

    PubMed

    Yun, Young Ho; Kang, Eun Kyo; Lee, Jihye; Choo, Jiyeon; Ryu, Hyewon; Yun, Hye-Min; Kang, Jung Hun; Kim, Tae You; Sim, Jin-Ah; Kim, Yaeji

    2018-03-05

    In this study, we aimed to develop and validate an instrument that could be used by patients with cancer to evaluate their quality of palliative care. Development of the questionnaire followed the four-phase process: item generation and reduction, construction, pilot testing, and field testing. Based on the literature, we constructed a list of items for the quality of palliative care from 104 quality care issues divided into 14 subscales. We constructed scales of 43 items that only the cancer patients were asked to answer. Using relevance and feasibility criteria and pilot testing, we developed a 44-item questionnaire. To assess the sensitivity and validity of the questionnaire, we recruited 220 patients over 18 years of age from three Korean hospitals. Factor analysis of the data and fit statistics process resulted in the 4-factor, 32-item Quality Care Questionnaire-Palliative Care (QCQ-PC), which covers appropriate communication with health care professionals (ten items), discussing value of life and goals of care (nine items), support and counseling for needs of holistic care (seven items), and accessibility and sustainability of care (six items). All subscales and total scores showed a high internal consistency (Cronbach alpha range, 0.89 to 0.97). Multi-trait scaling analysis showed good convergent (0.568-0.995) and discriminant (0.472-0.869) validity. The correlation between the total and subscale scores of QCQ-PC and those of EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL, MQOL, SAT-SF, and DCS was obtained. This study demonstrates that the QCQ-PC can be adopted to assess the quality of care in patients with cancer.

  12. The second version of the L. V. Prasad-functional vision questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Gothwal, Vijaya K; Sumalini, Rebecca; Bharani, Seelam; Reddy, Shailaja P; Bagga, Deepak K

    2012-11-01

    The L. V. Prasad-Functional Vision Questionnaire (LVP-FVQ) was developed using Rasch analysis to assess self-reported difficulties in performing daily tasks in school children with visual impairment (VI) in India. However, the LVP-FVQ has psychometric problems of inadequate measurement precision and lack of detailed assessment of dimensionality. Furthermore, items pertaining to use of technology are lacking. The aim of this study was to present the development and validation of the second version of LVP-FVQ (LVP-FVQ II). Development of LVP-FVQ II involved extracting items from other similar questionnaires (albeit developed for Western populations) and focus group discussions of children with VI and their parents that resulted in a 32-item pilot questionnaire. Overall, six items from the LVP-FVQ were retained. The questionnaire underwent pilot testing in 25 such children, following which a 27-item LVP-FVQ II emerged, and this was administered to 150 children with VI. Response to each item was rated on a three-category scale. Rasch analysis was used to validate the LVP-FVQ II. Rating scale was used by participants as was intended to. Four mobility-related items required deletion, as these did not contribute toward measurement of a single construct, indicating a secondary dimension. Deletion of the four items resulted in the 23-item unidimensional LVP-FVQ II, with good measurement precision, effective targeting of item difficulty to participant ability, and lack of notable differential item functioning. The LVP-FVQ II has high reliability, indicating that it is effectively able to discriminate between visual disability of school children in India, and is valid across age, gender, duration of VI, and location of residence. Given the superior measurement properties and the interval-level scores, the LVP-FVQ II appears to offer advantages over LVP-FVQ in assessment of difficulties in performing daily tasks in this population. It can be adapted for use in other developing countries.

  13. The Dysexecutive Questionnaire advanced: item and test score characteristics, 4-factor solution, and severity classification.

    PubMed

    Bodenburg, Sebastian; Dopslaff, Nina

    2008-01-01

    The Dysexecutive Questionnaire (DEX, , Behavioral assessment of the dysexecutive syndrome, 1996) is a standardized instrument to measure possible behavioral changes as a result of the dysexecutive syndrome. Although initially intended only as a qualitative instrument, the DEX has also been used increasingly to address quantitative problems. Until now there have not been more fundamental statistical analyses of the questionnaire's testing quality. The present study is based on an unselected sample of 191 patients with acquired brain injury and reports on the data relating to the quality of the items, the reliability and the factorial structure of the DEX. Item 3 displayed too great an item difficulty, whereas item 11 was not sufficiently discriminating. The DEX's reliability in self-rating is r = 0.85. In addition to presenting the statistical values of the tests, a clinical severity classification of the overall scores of the 4 found factors and of the questionnaire as a whole is carried out on the basis of quartile standards.

  14. Psychometrics of a Child Report Measure of Maternal Support following Disclosure of Sexual Abuse.

    PubMed

    Smith, Daniel W; Sawyer, Genelle K; Heck, Nicholas C; Zajac, Kristyn; Solomon, David; Self-Brown, Shannon; Danielson, Carla K; Ralston, M Elizabeth

    2017-04-01

    The study examined a new child report measure of maternal support following child sexual abuse. One hundred and forty-six mother-child dyads presenting for a forensic evaluation completed assessments including standardized measures of adjustment. Child participants also responded to 32 items considered for inclusion in a new measure, the Maternal Support Questionnaire-Child Report (MSQ-CR). Exploratory factor analysis of the Maternal Support Questionnaire-Child Report resulted in a three factor, 20-item solution: Emotional Support (9 items), Skeptical Preoccupation (5 items), and Protection/Retaliation (6 items). Each factor demonstrated adequate internal consistency. Construct and concurrent validity of the new measure were supported in comparison to other trauma-specific measures. The Maternal Support Questionnaire-Child Report demonstrated sound psychometric properties. Future research is needed to determine whether the Maternal Support Questionnaire-Child Report provides a more sensitive approximation of maternal support following disclosure of sexual abuse, relative to measures of global parent-child relations and to contextualize discrepancies between mother and child ratings of maternal support.

  15. Development of a Comprehensive Heart Disease Knowledge Questionnaire

    PubMed Central

    Bergman, Hannah E.; Reeve, Bryce B.; Moser, Richard P.; Scholl, Sarah; Klein, William M. P.

    2011-01-01

    Background Heart disease is the number one killer of both men and women in the United States, yet a comprehensive and evidence-based heart disease knowledge assessment is currently not available. Purpose This paper describes the 2 phase development of a novel heart disease knowledge questionnaire. Methods After review and critique of the existing literature, a questionnaire addressing 5 central domains of heart disease knowledge was constructed. In Phase I, 606 undergraduates completed a 82-item questionnaire. In Phase II, 248 undergraduates completed a revised 74-item questionnaire. In both phases, item clarity and difficulty were evaluated, along with the overall factor structure of the scale. Results Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used to reduce the scale to 30 items with fit statistics, CFI = .82, TLI = .88, and RMSEA = .03. Scores were correlated moderately positively with an existing scale and weakly positively with a measure of health literacy, thereby establishing both convergent and divergent validity. Discussion The finalized 30-item questionnaire is a concise, yet discriminating instrument that reliably measures participants' heart disease knowledge levels. Translation to Health Education Practice Health professionals can use this scale to assess their patients' heart disease knowledge so that they can create a tailored program to help their patients reduce their heart disease risk. PMID:21720571

  16. Test-retest reliability of a computer-assisted self-administered questionnaire on early life exposure in a nasopharyngeal carcinoma case-control study.

    PubMed

    Mai, Zhi-Ming; Lin, Jia-Huang; Chiang, Shing-Chun; Ngan, Roger Kai-Cheong; Kwong, Dora Lai-Wan; Ng, Wai-Tong; Ng, Alice Wan-Ying; Yuen, Kam-Tong; Ip, Kai-Ming; Chan, Yap-Hang; Lee, Anne Wing-Mui; Ho, Sai-Yin; Lung, Maria Li; Lam, Tai-Hing

    2018-05-04

    We evaluated the reliability of early life nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) aetiology factors in the questionnaire of an NPC case-control study in Hong Kong during 2014-2017. 140 subjects aged 18+ completed the same computer-assisted questionnaire twice, separated by at least 2 weeks. The questionnaire included most known NPC aetiology factors and the present analysis focused on early life exposure. Test-retest reliability of all the 285 questionnaire items was assessed in all subjects and in 5 subgroups defined by cases/controls, sex, time between 1 st and 2 nd questionnaire (2-29/≥30 weeks), education (secondary or less/postsecondary), and age (25-44/45-59/60+ years) at the first questionnaire. The reliability of items on dietary habits, body figure, skin tone and sun exposure in early life periods (age 6-12 and 13-18) was moderate-to-almost perfect, and most other items had fair-to-substantial reliability in all life periods (age 6-12, 13-18 and 19-30, and 10 years ago). Differences in reliability by strata of the 5 subgroups were only observed in a few items. This study is the first to report the reliability of an NPC questionnaire, and make the questionnaire available online. Overall, our questionnaire had acceptable reliability, suggesting that previous NPC study results on the same risk factors would have similar reliability.

  17. Accuracy of self-report in detecting taste dysfunction.

    PubMed

    Soter, Ana; Kim, John; Jackman, Alexis; Tourbier, Isabelle; Kaul, Arti; Doty, Richard L

    2008-04-01

    To determine the sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive value of responses to the following questionnaire statements in detecting taste loss: "I can detect salt in chips, pretzels, or salted nuts," "I can detect sourness in vinegar, pickles, or lemon," "I can detect sweetness in soda, cookies, or ice cream," and "I can detect bitterness, in coffee, beer, or tonic water." Responses to an additional item, "I can detect chocolate in cocoa, cake or candy," was examined to determine whether patients clearly differentiate between taste loss and flavor loss secondary to olfactory dysfunction. A total of 469 patients (207 men, mean age = 54 years, standard deviation = 15 years; and 262 women, mean age = 54 years, standard deviation = 14 years) were administered a questionnaire containing these questions with the response categories of "easily," "somewhat," and "not at all," followed by a comprehensive taste and smell test battery. The questionnaire items poorly detected bona fide taste problems. However, they were sensitive in detecting persons without such problems (i.e., they exhibited low positive but high negative predictive value). Dysfunction categories of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) were not meaningfully related to subjects' responses to the questionnaire statements. Both sex and age influenced performance on most of the taste tests, with older persons performing more poorly than younger ones and women typically outperforming men. Although it is commonly assumed that straight-forward questions concerning taste may be useful in detecting taste disorders, this study suggests this is not the case. However, patients who specifically report having no problems with taste perception usually do not exhibit taste dysfunction. The difficulty in detecting true taste problems by focused questionnaire items likely reflects a combination of factors. These include the relatively low prevalence of taste deficits in the general population and the tendency of patients to confuse loss of olfaction-related flavor sensations with taste-bud mediated deficits.

  18. Which dimensions of disability does the HIV Disability Questionnaire (HDQ) measure? A factor analysis.

    PubMed

    O'Brien, Kelly K; Bayoumi, Ahmed M; Stratford, Paul; Solomon, Patricia

    2015-01-01

    To assess the dimensions of disability measured by the HIV Disability Questionnaire (HDQ), a newly developed 72-item self-administered questionnaire that describes the presence, severity and episodic nature of disability experienced by people living with HIV. We recruited adults living with HIV from hospital clinics, AIDS service organizations and a specialty hospital and administered the HDQ followed by a demographic questionnaire. We conducted an exploratory factor analysis using disability severity scores to determine the domains of disability in the HDQ. We used the following steps: (a) ensured correlations between items were >0.30 and <0.80; (b) conducted a principal components analysis to extract factors; (c) used the Scree Test and eigenvalue threshold >1.5 to determine the number of factors to retain; and d) used oblique rotation to simplify the factor loading matrix. We assigned items to factors based on factor loadings of >0.30. Of the 361 participants, 80% were men and 77% reported living with at least two concurrent health conditions in addition to HIV. The exploratory factor analysis suggested retaining six factors. Items related to symptoms and impairments loaded on three factors (physical [20 items], cognitive [3 items], and mental and emotional health [11 items]) and items related to worrying about the future, daily activities, and personal relationships loaded on three additional factors (uncertainty [14 items], difficulties with day-to-day activities [9 items], social inclusion [12 items]). The HDQ has six domains: physical symptoms and impairments; cognitive symptoms and impairments; mental and emotional health symptoms and impairments; uncertainty; difficulties with day-to-day activities and challenges to social inclusion. These domains establish the scoring structure for the dimensions of disability measured by the HDQ. Implications for Rehabilitation As individuals live longer and age with HIV, they may be living with the health-related consequences of HIV and concurrent health conditions, a concept that may be termed disability. Measuring disability is important to understand the impact of HIV and its comorbidities. The HIV Disability Questionnaire (HDQ) is a self-administered questionnaire developed to describe the presence, severity and episodic nature of disability experienced by people living with HIV. The HDQ is comprised of six domains of disability including: physical symptoms and impairments (20 items); cognitive symptoms and impairments (3 items); mental and emotional health symptoms and impairments (11 items); uncertainty (14 items); difficulties with day-to-day activities (9 items) and challenges to social inclusion (12 items). These domains represent the dimensions of disability measured by the HDQ. The HDQ is the first known HIV-specific disability measure for adults living with HIV. The HDQ may be used by clinicians and researchers to assess disability experienced by adults living with HIV.

  19. Item Response Modeling: An Evaluation of the Children's Fruit and Vegetable Self-Efficacy Questionnaire

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Watson, Kathy; Baranowski, Tom; Thompson, Debbe

    2006-01-01

    Perceived self-efficacy (SE) for eating fruit and vegetables (FV) is a key variable mediating FV change in interventions. This study applies item response modeling (IRM) to a fruit, juice and vegetable self-efficacy questionnaire (FVSEQ) previously validated with classical test theory (CTT) procedures. The 24-item (five-point Likert scale) FVSEQ…

  20. The Random Response Technique as an Indicator of Questionnaire Item Social Desirability/Personal Sensitivity.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Crino, Michael D.; And Others

    1985-01-01

    The random response technique was compared to a direct questionnaire, administered to college students, to investigate whether or not the responses predicted the social desirability of the item. Results suggest support for the hypothesis. A 33-item version of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale which was used is included. (GDC)

  1. School Self-Evaluation Instruments and Cognitive Validity. Do Items Capture What They Intend to?

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Faddar, Jerich; Vanhoof, Jan; De Maeyer, Sven

    2017-01-01

    School self-evaluation (SSE) often makes use of questionnaires in order to sketch a picture of the school. How respondents cognitively process questionnaire items determines the validity of SSE results. Still, one readily assumes that respondents interpret and answer items as intended by the instrument developer (referred to as cognitive…

  2. A Psychometric Evaluation of the Learning Styles Questionnaire: 40-Item Version

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Klein, Britt; McCall, Louise; Austin, David; Piterman, Leon

    2007-01-01

    Sixty-six English-speaking postgraduate distance-education medical students completed the Learning Styles Questionnaire (LSQ: 40-item version). This was completed while attending a residential workshop at the beginning of the semester, and 44 of these students completed the same LSQ questionnaire 5 months later at the completion of the semester.…

  3. Development of the Oxford Participation and Activities Questionnaire: constructing an item pool

    PubMed Central

    Kelly, Laura; Jenkinson, Crispin; Dummett, Sarah; Dawson, Jill; Fitzpatrick, Ray; Morley, David

    2015-01-01

    Purpose The Oxford Participation and Activities Questionnaire is a patient-reported outcome measure in development that is grounded on the World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF). The study reported here aimed to inform and generate an item pool for the new measure, which is specifically designed for the assessment of participation and activity in patients experiencing a range of health conditions. Methods Items were informed through in-depth interviews conducted with 37 participants spanning a range of conditions. Interviews aimed to identify how their condition impacted their ability to participate in meaningful activities. Conditions included arthritis, cancer, chronic back pain, diabetes, motor neuron disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and spinal cord injury. Transcripts were analyzed using the framework method. Statements relating to ICF themes were recast as questionnaire items and shown for review to an expert panel. Cognitive debrief interviews (n=13) were used to assess items for face and content validity. Results ICF themes relevant to activities and participation in everyday life were explored, and a total of 222 items formed the initial item pool. This item pool was refined by the research team and 28 generic items were mapped onto all nine chapters of the ICF construct, detailing activity and participation. Cognitive interviewing confirmed the questionnaire instructions, items, and response options were acceptable to participants. Conclusion Using a clear conceptual basis to inform item generation, 28 items have been identified as suitable to undergo further psychometric testing. A large-scale postal survey will follow in order to refine the instrument further and to assess its psychometric properties. The final instrument is intended for use in clinical trials and interventions targeted at maintaining or improving activity and participation. PMID:26056503

  4. Development of the Oxford Participation and Activities Questionnaire: constructing an item pool.

    PubMed

    Kelly, Laura; Jenkinson, Crispin; Dummett, Sarah; Dawson, Jill; Fitzpatrick, Ray; Morley, David

    2015-01-01

    The Oxford Participation and Activities Questionnaire is a patient-reported outcome measure in development that is grounded on the World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF). The study reported here aimed to inform and generate an item pool for the new measure, which is specifically designed for the assessment of participation and activity in patients experiencing a range of health conditions. Items were informed through in-depth interviews conducted with 37 participants spanning a range of conditions. Interviews aimed to identify how their condition impacted their ability to participate in meaningful activities. Conditions included arthritis, cancer, chronic back pain, diabetes, motor neuron disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, and spinal cord injury. Transcripts were analyzed using the framework method. Statements relating to ICF themes were recast as questionnaire items and shown for review to an expert panel. Cognitive debrief interviews (n=13) were used to assess items for face and content validity. ICF themes relevant to activities and participation in everyday life were explored, and a total of 222 items formed the initial item pool. This item pool was refined by the research team and 28 generic items were mapped onto all nine chapters of the ICF construct, detailing activity and participation. Cognitive interviewing confirmed the questionnaire instructions, items, and response options were acceptable to participants. Using a clear conceptual basis to inform item generation, 28 items have been identified as suitable to undergo further psychometric testing. A large-scale postal survey will follow in order to refine the instrument further and to assess its psychometric properties. The final instrument is intended for use in clinical trials and interventions targeted at maintaining or improving activity and participation.

  5. Construction of a questionnaire measuring outpatients' opinion of quality of hospital consultation departments.

    PubMed

    Gasquet, Isabelle; Villeminot, Sylvie; Estaquio, Carla; Durieux, Pierre; Ravaud, Philippe; Falissard, Bruno

    2004-08-04

    Few questionnaires on outpatients' satisfaction with hospital exist. All have been constructed without giving enough room for the patient's point of view in the validation procedure. The main objective was to develop, according to psychometric standards, a self-administered generic outpatient questionnaire exploring opinion on quality of hospital care. First, a qualitative phase was conducted to generate items and identify domains using critical analysis incident technique and literature review. A list of easily comprehensible non-redundant items was defined using Delphi technique and a pilot study on outpatients. This phase involved outpatients, patient association representatives and experts. The second step was a quantitative validation phase comprised a multicenter study in 3 hospitals, 10 departments and 1007 outpatients. It was designed to select items, identify dimensions, measure reliability, internal and concurrent validity. Patients were randomized according to the place of questionnaire completion (hospital v. home) (participation rate = 65%). Third, a mail-back study on 2 departments and 248 outpatients was conducted to replicate the validation (participation rate = 57%). A 27-item questionnaire comprising 4 subscales (appointment making, reception facilities, waiting time and consultation with the doctor). The factorial structure was satisfactory (loading >0.50 on each subscale for all items, except one item). Interscale correlations ranged from 0.42 to 0.59, Cronbach alpha coefficients ranged from 0.79 to 0.94. All Item-scale correlations were higher than 0.40. Test-retest intraclass coefficients ranged from 0.69 to 0.85. A unidimensional 9-item version was produced by selection of one third of the items within each subscale with the strongest loading on the principal component and the best item-scale correlation corrected for overlap. Factors related to satisfaction level independent from departments were age, previous consultations in the department and satisfaction with life. Completion at hospital immediately after consultation led to an overestimation of satisfaction. No satisfaction score differences existed between spontaneous respondents and patients responding after reminder(s). Good estimation of patient opinion on hospital consultation performance was obtained with these questionnaires. When comparing performances between departments or the same department over time scores need to be adjusted on 3 variables that influence satisfaction independently from department. Completion of the questionnaire at home is preferable to completion in the consultation facility and reminders are not necessary to produce non-biased data.

  6. Discrepancies on quality perceived by the patients versus professionals on the quality of a nuclear medicine department.

    PubMed

    Rodrigo-Rincon, I; Goñi-Girones, E; Serra-Arbeloa, P; Martinez-Lozano, M E; Reyes-Pérez, M

    2015-01-01

    To evaluate the discrepancies between the professionals and outpatients on quality perceived of a Nuclear Medicine Department (NMD). This cross-sectional study has been carried out using two questionnaires: a validated patient experience questionnaire and a quality perception questionnaire for professionals. Both questionnaires use the same 25 categorical items to measure service quality, 2 Likert scale items to measure satisfaction and willingness to recommend the NMD and 1 open-ended question. The patient questionnaire included 6 socio-demographic items and one job-related question (professionals). The categorical items were classified as "conformity" or "non-conformity." The response rate was 36.7% for outpatients and 100% for professionals. Mean value for satisfaction with the NMD was 9 points for patients and 6.9 points for professionals. Mean number of non-conformity items per person was 2.8 for the patient group and 8.7 for the professional group. Cohen's Kappa value was 0.112, indicating poor agreement in the classification of items as strong points and areas for improvement. Of the 25 items, the professionals and patients coincided on 12 (48%). Agreement was low between the quality perception of patients and professionals. The patients scored quality of service higher than the NMD professionals did. These instruments are useful aid to help health organizations detect areas for improvement, and to improve the quality of the service provided to patients. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. and SEMNIM. All rights reserved.

  7. The SATISPSY-22: development and validation of a French hospitalized patients' satisfaction questionnaire in psychiatry.

    PubMed

    Zendjidjian, X Y; Auquier, P; Lançon, C; Loundou, A; Parola, N; Faugère, M; Boyer, L

    2015-01-01

    The aim of our study was to develop a specific French self-administered instrument for measuring hospitalized patients' satisfaction in psychiatry based on exclusive patient point of view: the SATISPSY-22. The development of the SATISPSY was undertaken in three steps: item generation, item reduction, and validation. The content of the SATISPSY was derived from 80 interviews with patients hospitalized in psychiatry. Using item response and classical test theories, item reduction was performed in 2 hospitals on 270 responders. The validation was based on construct validity, reliability, and some aspects of external validity. The SATISPSY contains 22 items describing 6 dimensions (staff, quality of care, personal experience, information, activity, and food). The six-factor structure accounted for 78.0% of the total variance. Each item achieved the 0.40 standard for item-internal consistency, and the Cronbach's alpha coefficients were>0.70. Scores of dimensions were strongly positively correlated with Visual Analogue Scale scores. Significant associations with socioeconomic and clinical indicators showed good discriminant and external validity. INFIT statistics were ranged from 0.71 to 1.25. The SATISPSY-22 presents satisfactory psychometric properties, enabling patient feedback to be incorporated in a continuous quality health care improvement strategy. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  8. A Korean survey on qualities and definition of a good psychiatrist.

    PubMed

    Kim, Ji Hyun; Tor, Phern-Chern; King, Joel; Seo, Jeong Seok

    2015-05-01

    The definition of a "good" psychiatrist has varied over the past decades due to changing roles of psychiatrists. Studies on the qualities of "good" psychiatrists have been completed in many countries. However, no such study has been undertaken in Korea. In Korea, recent growing interest in psychiatry demands the identification of qualities for a good psychiatrist. The purpose of this study was to define the qualities of a good psychiatrist in Korea, subsequently facilitating the improvement of psychiatric training programs. The questionnaire was based on a Singaporean survey with the permission from the original authors. Respondents were divided into patient group and psychiatrist group. The 40-item questionnaire contained items grouped into four themes: Professional, Personal Values, Academic Executive and Relationship. Of the four themes, both patient and psychiatrist groups considered Professional as the most important, whereas Academic Executive as the least important. The mean scores for all items of each theme in the patient group were higher than those in the psychiatrist group, reflecting higher expectations for good psychiatrist in the patient group. Patients emphasized Relationship more than psychiatrists did. It is concluded that a good psychiatrist in Korea can be defined as "a good communicator and listener with a professional manner, who respects confidentiality and has good doctor-patient relationships."

  9. Applying the revised Chinese Job Content Questionnaire to assess psychosocial work conditions among Taiwan's hospital workers

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background For hospital accreditation and health promotion reasons, we examined whether the 22-item Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) could be applied to evaluate job strain of individual hospital employees and to determine the number of factors extracted from JCQ. Additionally, we developed an Excel module of self-evaluation diagnostic system for consultation with experts. Methods To develop an Excel-based self-evaluation diagnostic system for consultation to experts to make job strain assessment easier and quicker than ever, Rasch rating scale model was used to analyze data from 1,644 hospital employees who enrolled in 2008 for a job strain survey. We determined whether the 22-item Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) could evaluate job strain of individual employees in work sites. The respective item responding to specific groups' occupational hazards causing job stress was investigated by using skewness coefficient with its 95% CI through item-by-item analyses. Results Each of those 22 items on the questionnaire was examined to have five factors. The prevalence rate of Chinese hospital workers with high job strain was 16.5%. Conclusions Graphical representations of four quadrants, item-by-item bar chart plots and skewness 95% CI comparison generated in Excel can help employers and consultants of an organization focusing on a small number of key areas of concern for each worker in job strain. PMID:21682912

  10. Applying the revised Chinese Job Content Questionnaire to assess psychosocial work conditions among Taiwan's hospital workers.

    PubMed

    Chien, Tsair-Wei; Lai, Wen-Pin; Wang, Hsien-Yi; Hsu, Sen-Yen; Castillo, Roberto Vasquez; Guo, How-Ran; Chen, Shih-Chung; Su, Shih-Bin

    2011-06-18

    For hospital accreditation and health promotion reasons, we examined whether the 22-item Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) could be applied to evaluate job strain of individual hospital employees and to determine the number of factors extracted from JCQ. Additionally, we developed an Excel module of self-evaluation diagnostic system for consultation with experts. To develop an Excel-based self-evaluation diagnostic system for consultation to experts to make job strain assessment easier and quicker than ever, Rasch rating scale model was used to analyze data from 1,644 hospital employees who enrolled in 2008 for a job strain survey. We determined whether the 22-item Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) could evaluate job strain of individual employees in work sites. The respective item responding to specific groups' occupational hazards causing job stress was investigated by using skewness coefficient with its 95% CI through item-by-item analyses. Each of those 22 items on the questionnaire was examined to have five factors. The prevalence rate of Chinese hospital workers with high job strain was 16.5%. Graphical representations of four quadrants, item-by-item bar chart plots and skewness 95% CI comparison generated in Excel can help employers and consultants of an organization focusing on a small number of key areas of concern for each worker in job strain.

  11. Psychometric Characteristics of the Attitude Questionnaire Toward the Donation of Organs for Transplant (PCID-DTO-RIOS).

    PubMed

    Ríos, A; López-Navas, A I; De-Francisco, C; Sánchez, Á; Hernández, A M; Ramírez, P; Parrilla, P

    2018-03-01

    Most psychosocial attitude studies for donors are not evaluated and are not valid. Validated questionnaires are necessary to compare results and guarantee that they measure what they are intended to measure. To analyze the psychometric characteristics of the attitude questionnaire toward the donation of one's own organs after death. We evaluated PCID-DTO RIOS (Questionnaire of "Proyecto Colaborativo Internacional Donante" about organ donation and transplant; donación y trasplante de órganos in Spanish), developed by Dr Ríos, for its validation in a Spanish-speaking population. A sample of 600 Spaniards over 18 stratified by age and gender according to the center were included. The PCID-DTO-RIOS was used, which allows determination of the factors that condition that attitude. Structured analysis was used in several stages, with an initial description of the data, exploratory factorial analysis, item analysis, and internal factor consistency. The 20 items of the questionnaire are grouped into 4 factors, which explain 63.203% of the total variance. By factors, this is distributed as follows: factor 1 (6 items) 26.287%; factor 2 (7 items) 24.972%; factor 3 (4 items) 6.834%; and factor 4 (3 items) 5.110%. The analysis of the items and the internal consistency measured through Cronbach α (α1 = .95, α2 = .80, α3 = .74, and α4 = .64) support the four-factor composition, with α = 0.834. The questionnaire PCID-DTO-RIOS is composed of 4 factors that explain a high percentage of the attitude toward the donation of one's own organs after death. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. An examination of reactivity to craving assessment: craving to smoke does not change over the course of a multi-item craving questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Germeroth, Lisa J; Tiffany, Stephen T

    2015-06-01

    Self-report measures are typically used to assess drug craving, but researchers have questioned whether completing these assessments can elicit or enhance craving. Previous studies have examined cigarette craving reactivity and found null craving reactivity effects. Several methodological limitations of those studies, however, preclude definitive conclusions. The current study addresses limitations of previous studies and extends this area of research by using a large sample size to examine: (1) item-by-item changes in craving level during questionnaire completion, (2) craving reactivity as a function of craving intensity reflected in item content, (3) craving reactivity differences between nicotine dependent and nondependent smokers, and (4) potential reactivity across multiple sessions. This study also used a more comprehensive craving assessment (the 32-item Questionnaire on Smoking Urges; QSU) than employed in previous studies. Nicotine dependent and nondependent smokers (n=270; nicotine dependence determined by the Nicotine Addiction Taxon Scale) completed the QSU on six separate occasions across 12 weeks. Craving level was observed at the item level and across various subsets of items. Analyses indicated that there was no significant effect of item/subset position on craving ratings, nor were there any significant interactions between item/subset position and session or level of nicotine dependence. These findings indicate that, even with relatively sensitive procedures for detecting potential reactivity, there was no evidence that completing a craving questionnaire induces craving. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Employment insecurity, workplace justice and employees' burnout in Taiwanese employees: a validation study.

    PubMed

    Cheng, Yawen; Huang, Hsun-Yin; Li, Pei-Rong; Hsu, Jin-Huei

    2011-12-01

    Employment insecurity and workplace injustice are important psychosocial hazards. However, few studies of these associations have been conducted in Chinese-speaking populations. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of employment insecurity and workplace justice scales, and examined their associations with the levels of workers' burnout status in Taiwanese workers. Study subjects were participants in a national survey of employees in Taiwan, consisting of 9,636 men and 7,406 women. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess employment insecurity (six items) and workplace justice (nine items), as well as other psychosocial work characteristics. After the survey was completed, in-depth interviews with 10 employees were conducted for a qualitative evaluation. Cronbach's α was 0.87 or greater for the workplace justice scale and 0.76 or greater for the employment insecurity scale, indicating satisfactory internal consistencies. Exploratory factor analyses revealed a factor pattern consistent with the theoretically assumed structure, except that the items with statements in reversed direction were loaded on separated factors. Higher levels of employment insecurity and lower levels of workplace justice were associated with higher burnout scores. However, results from the qualitative interviews suggested that some questionnaire items contained double-barreled questions, and some questions were misinterpreted or considered irrelevant by participants. The Chinese version of employment insecurity and workplace justice scales were found to have satisfactory reliability and validity. However, improvement of these scales is still needed.

  14. Development and psychometric properties of the Y-PASS questionnaire to assess correlates of lunchtime and after-school physical activity in children

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background To frame interventions, it is useful to understand context- and time-specific correlates of children’s physical activity. To do this, we need accurate assessment of these correlates. There are currently no measures that assess correlates at all levels of the social ecological model, contain items that are specifically worded for the lunchtime and/or after-school time periods, and assess correlates that have been conceptualised and defined by children. The aim of this study was to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of the lunchtime and after-school Youth Physical Activity Survey for Specific Settings (Y-PASS) questionnaires. Methods The Y-PASS questionnaire was administered to 264 South Australian children (146 boys, 118 girls; mean age = 11.7 ± 0.93 years). Factorial structure and internal consistency of the intrapersonal, sociocultural and physical environmental/policy lunchtime and after-school subscales were examined through an exploratory factor analysis. The test-retest reliability of the Y-PASS subscales was assessed over a one-week period on a subsample of children (lunchtime Y-PASS: n = 12 boys, 12 girls, mean age of 11.6 ± 0.8 years; after-school Y-PASS: n = 9 boys, 13 girls; mean age = 11.4 ± 0.9 years). Results For the lunchtime Y-PASS, three factors were identified under each of the intrapersonal, sociocultural and physical environmental/policy subscales. For the after-school Y-PASS, six factors were identified in the intrapersonal subscale, four factors in the sociocultural subscale and seven factors in the physical environmental/policy subscale. Following item reduction, all subscales demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach alpha = 0.78 – 0.85), except for the lunchtime sociocultural subscale (Cronbach alpha = 0.55). The factors and items demonstrated fair to very high test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.26 – 0.93). Conclusion The preliminary reliability and factorial structure evidence suggests the Y-PASS correlate questionnaires are robust tools for measuring correlates of context-specific physical activity in children. The multi-dimensional factor structure provides justification for exploring physical activity correlates from a social ecological perspective and demonstrates the importance of developing items that are context specific. Further development and refinement of the Y-PASS questionnaires is recommended, including a confirmatory factor analysis and exploring the inclusion of additional items. PMID:24885601

  15. The Children’s Behavior Questionnaire very short scale: Psychometric properties and development of a one-item temperament scale

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Little research has been conducted on the psychometrics of the very short scale (36 items) of the Children’s Behavior Questionnaire, and no one-item temperament scale has been tested for use in applied work. In this study, 237 United States caregivers completed a survey to define their child’s behav...

  16. Grouping of Items in Mobile Web Questionnaires

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mavletova, Aigul; Couper, Mick P.

    2016-01-01

    There is some evidence that a scrolling design may reduce breakoffs in mobile web surveys compared to a paging design, but there is little empirical evidence to guide the choice of the optimal number of items per page. We investigate the effect of the number of items presented on a page on data quality in two types of questionnaires: with or…

  17. Examining the Validity of a Swedish Version of the Self-Presentation in Exercise Questionnaire

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Lindwall, Magnus

    2005-01-01

    This study examines the factorial validity, factorial invariance across gender, and construct validity of a Swedish version of the Self-Presentation in Exercise Questionnaire (SPEQ; Conroy, Motl, & Hall, 2000). The a priori two-factor 14-item, 11-item, and 9-item models fail to reach acceptable levels of fit in a calibration sample. A modified…

  18. ITEM RESPONSE ANALYSES OF THE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES SURVEY 9TH GRADE STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    WEINFELD, FREDERIC D.; AND OTHERS

    THIS REPORT PRESENTS THE ANALYSIS OF QUESTIONNAIRE ITEM RESPONSES FROM THE NINTH-GRADE STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE ADMINISTERED AS PART OF THE EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES SURVEY. THE ANALYSES WERE PERFORMED TO DOCUMENT SOME OF THE BASIC DATA FROM THE SURVEY, TO MAKE THEM AVAILABLE TO INTERESTED EDUCATIONAL RESEARCHERS, AND TO REWORK THE BASIC DATA FOR…

  19. Generic ABILHAND Questionnaire Can Measure Manual Ability across a Variety of Motor Impairments

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Simone, Anna; Rota, Viviana; Tesio, Luigi; Perucca, Laura

    2011-01-01

    ABILHAND is, in its original version, a 46-item, 4-level questionnaire. It measures the difficulty perceived by patients with rheumatoid arthritis as they do various daily manual tasks. ABILHAND was originally built through Rasch analysis. In a later study, it was simplified to a generic 23-item, three-level questionnaire, showing both…

  20. The Child-care Food and Activity Practices Questionnaire (CFAPQ): development and first validation steps.

    PubMed

    Gubbels, Jessica S; Sleddens, Ester Fc; Raaijmakers, Lieke Ch; Gies, Judith M; Kremers, Stef Pj

    2016-08-01

    To develop and validate a questionnaire to measure food-related and activity-related practices of child-care staff, based on existing, validated parenting practices questionnaires. A selection of items from the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire (CFPQ) and the Preschooler Physical Activity Parenting Practices (PPAPP) questionnaire was made to include items most suitable for the child-care setting. The converted questionnaire was pre-tested among child-care staff during cognitive interviews and pilot-tested among a larger sample of child-care staff. Factor analyses with Varimax rotation and internal consistencies were used to examine the scales. Spearman correlations, t tests and ANOVA were used to examine associations between the scales and staff's background characteristics (e.g. years of experience, gender). Child-care centres in the Netherlands. The qualitative pre-test included ten child-care staff members. The quantitative pilot test included 178 child-care staff members. The new questionnaire, the Child-care Food and Activity Practices Questionnaire (CFAPQ), consists of sixty-three items (forty food-related and twenty-three activity-related items), divided over twelve scales (seven food-related and five activity-related scales). The CFAPQ scales are to a large extent similar to the original CFPQ and PPAPP scales. The CFAPQ scales show sufficient internal consistency with Cronbach's α ranging between 0·53 and 0·96, and average corrected item-total correlations within acceptable ranges (0·30-0·89). Several of the scales were significantly associated with child-care staff's background characteristics. Scale psychometrics of the CFAPQ indicate it is a valid questionnaire that assesses child-care staff's practices related to both food and activities.

  1. Patient perspective on quality of geriatric care and rehabilitation--development and psychometric testing of a questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Wressle, Ewa; Eriksson, Lennart; Fahlander, Amie; Rasmusson, Ing-Marie; Tedemalm, Ulla; Tängmark, Karin

    2006-06-01

    The aim was to develop and test a questionnaire for use in telephone interviews concerning patient evaluation of geriatric care and rehabilitation. Instrument development was performed comprising qualitative interviews, construction of items, content validation, pilot study and data collection for evaluation of care and rehabilitation, clinical utility, reliability and construct validity. Qualitative interviews were performed with 12 elderly participants. The qualitative interviews formed the basis for the construction of 45 items. An expert panel performed a content validation of the questionnaire resulting in a revised version. A pilot study comprised 29 participants recently discharged from geriatric wards and the main data collection comprised 221 participants. Inclusion criteria were being able to perform a telephone interview and willingness to participate. Clinical utility was examined through questions to the interviewers, answered in writing. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.79. According to a factor analysis and the evaluation of clinical utility, the underlying dimensions of the final revised questionnaire concern 'Respect and safety', 'Information and participation' and 'Rehabilitation interventions', scored in 18 items. In addition, one global item concerns satisfaction with care, resulting in 19 items in total. The revised questionnaire was named PaPeR, Patient Perspective on care and Rehabilitation. The questionnaire is considered valid, reliable and judged to have good clinical utility. The time consumption for the telephone interview is about 10-20 minutes. The questionnaire is useful in defining areas for potential quality improvement in geriatric wards.

  2. Cigarette dependence questionnaire: development and psychometric testing with male smokers.

    PubMed

    Huang, Chih-Ling; Lin, Hsi-Hui; Wang, Hsiu-Hung

    2010-10-01

    This paper is a report of a study conducted to develop and test a theoretically derived Cigarette Dependence Questionnaire for adult male smokers. Fagerstrom questionnaires have been used worldwide to assess cigarette dependence. However, these assessments lack any theoretical perspective. A theory-based approach is needed to ensure valid assessment. In 2007, an initial pool of 103 Cigarette Dependence Questionnaire items was distributed to 109 adult smokers in Taiwan. Item analysis was conducted to select items for inclusion in the refined scale. The psychometric properties of the Cigarette Dependence Questionnaire were further evaluated 2007-08, when it was administered to 256 respondents and their saliva was collected and analysed for cotinine levels. Criterion validity was established through the Pearson correlation between the scale and saliva cotinine levels. Exploratory factor analysis was used to test construct validity. Reliability was determined with Cronbach's alpha coefficient and a 2-week test-retest coefficient. The selection of 30 items for seven perspectives was based on item analysis. One factor accounting for 44.9% of the variance emerged from the factor analysis. The factor was named as cigarette dependence. Cigarette Dependence Questionnaire scores were statistically significantly correlated with saliva cotinine levels (r = 0.21, P = 0.01). Cronbach's alpha was 0.95 and test-retest reliability using an intra-class correlation was 0.92. The Cigarette Dependence Questionnaire showed sound reliability and validity and could be used by nurses to set up smoking cessation interventions based on assessment of cigarette dependence. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  3. Linguistic validation of stigmatisation degree, self-esteem and knowledge questionnaire among asthma patients using Rasch analysis.

    PubMed

    Ahmad, Sohail; Ismail, Ahmad Izuanuddin; Khan, Tahir Mehmood; Akram, Waqas; Mohd Zim, Mohd Arif; Ismail, Nahlah Elkudssiah

    2017-04-01

    The stigmatisation degree, self-esteem and knowledge either directly or indirectly influence the control and self-management of asthma. To date, there is no valid and reliable instrument that can assess these key issues collectively. The main aim of this study was to test the reliability and validity of the newly devised and translated "Stigmatisation Degree, Self-Esteem and Knowledge Questionnaire" among adult asthma patients using the Rasch measurement model. This cross-sectional study recruited thirty adult asthma patients from two respiratory specialist clinics in Selangor, Malaysia. The newly devised self-administered questionnaire was adapted from relevant publications and translated into the Malay language using international standard translation guidelines. Content and face validation was done. The data were extracted and analysed for real item reliability and construct validation using the Rasch model. The translated "Stigmatisation Degree, Self-Esteem and Knowledge Questionnaire" showed high real item reliability values of 0.90, 0.86 and 0.89 for stigmatisation degree, self-esteem, and knowledge of asthma, respectively. Furthermore, all values of point measure correlation (PTMEA Corr) analysis were within the acceptable specified range of the Rasch model. Infit/outfit mean square values and Z standard (ZSTD) values of each item verified the construct validity and suggested retaining all the items in the questionnaire. The reliability analyses and output tables of item measures for construct validation proved the translated Malaysian version of "Stigmatisation Degree, Self-Esteem and Knowledge Questionnaire" as a valid and highly reliable questionnaire.

  4. Not throwing out the baby with the bathwater: lessons from the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    van Wilgen, C Paul; Vuijk, Pieter Jelle; van Ittersum, Miriam W; Nijs, Jo

    2013-03-01

    The Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) is the most frequently used questionnaire in patients with fibromyalgia in the last 20 years. Recently, a revised version of the FIQ has been published. In this study, we examined the factor structure of the original version using explorative and confirmative factor analyses in a representative group of about 500 Dutch and Belgian patients with fibromyalgia, in which the work-related item was excluded. The FIQ consisting of a three-factor structure with a functional domain (ten items), physical symptom domain (six items), and mental symptom domain (two items), which is the most accurate. From the data presented, it is concluded that the FIQ is a solid, worldwide-used questionnaire with a history of 20 years consisting of three domains. When constructing a revised FIQ, the results of this study can be incorporated.

  5. The Swiss Health Literacy Survey: development and psychometric properties of a multidimensional instrument to assess competencies for health

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Jen; Thombs, Brett D.; Schmid, Margareta R.

    2012-01-01

    Abstract Background  Growing recognition of the role of citizens and patients in health and health care has placed a spotlight on health literacy and patient education. Objective  To identify specific competencies for health in definitions of health literacy and patient‐centred concepts and empirically test their dimensionality in the general population. Methods  A thorough review of the literature on health literacy, self‐management, patient empowerment, patient education and shared decision making revealed considerable conceptual overlap as competencies for health and identified a corpus of 30 generic competencies for health. A questionnaire containing 127 items covering the 30 competencies was fielded as a telephone interview in German, French and Italian among 1255 respondents randomly selected from the resident population in Switzerland. Findings  Analyses with the software MPlus to model items with mixed response categories showed that the items do not load onto a single factor. Multifactorial models with good fit could be erected for each of five dimensions defined a priori and their corresponding competencies: information and knowledge (four competencies, 17 items), general cognitive skills (four competencies, 17 items), social roles (two competencies, seven items), medical management (four competencies, 27 items) and healthy lifestyle (two competencies, six items). Multiple indicators and multiple causes models identified problematic differential item functioning for only six items belonging to two competencies. Conclusions  The psychometric analyses of this instrument support broader conceptualization of health literacy not as a single competence but rather as a package of competencies for health. PMID:22390287

  6. Validation of the CoRE Questionnaire for a Medical Journal Peer Review.

    PubMed

    Doi, Suhail A R; Salzman-Scott, Sherry A; Onitilo, Adedayo A

    2016-01-01

    If a peer review instrument asks concrete questions (defined as items that can only generate disagreement if reviewers have different degrees of expertise), then questionnaires could become more meaningful in terms of resolving subjectivity thus leading to more reviewer agreement. A concrete item questionnaire with well-chosen questions can also help resolve disagreement when reviewers have the same level of expertise. We have recently created the core-item reviewer evaluation (CoRE) questionnaire for which decision-threshold score levels have been created, but which have not been validated. This prospective validation of these thresholds for the CoRE questionnaire demonstrated strong agreement between reviewer recommendations and their reported score levels when tested prospectively at Clinical Medicine and Research. We conclude that using the CoRE questionnaire will help reduce peer reviewer disagreement. More importantly, when reviewer expertise varies, editors can more easily detect this and decide which opinion reflects the greater expertise.

  7. High self-efficacy predicts adherence to surveillance colonoscopy in inflammatory bowel disease.

    PubMed

    Friedman, Sonia; Cheifetz, Adam S; Farraye, Francis A; Banks, Peter A; Makrauer, Frederick L; Burakoff, Robert; Farmer, Barbara; Torgersen, Leanne N; Wahl, Kelly E

    2014-09-01

    Patients with extensive ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease of the colon have an increased risk of colon cancer and require colonoscopic surveillance. In this study, we assessed individual self-efficacy (SE) to estimate the probability of adherence to surveillance colonoscopies. Three hundred seventy-eight patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease of the colon for at least 7 years and with at least one third of the colon involved participated in this cross-sectional questionnaire study performed at 3 tertiary referral inflammatory bowel disease clinics. Medical charts were abstracted for demographic and clinical variables. The questionnaire contained a group of items assessing SE for undergoing colonoscopy. We validated our 20-question SE scale and used 8 of the items that highlighted scheduling, preparation, and postprocedure recovery, to develop 2 shorter SE scales. All 3 scales were reliable with Cronbach's α ranging from 0.845 to 0.905 and correlated with chart-documented adherence to surveillance colonoscopy (P < 0.001). We then developed logistic regression models to predict adherence to surveillance colonoscopy using each scale separately along with other key variables (i.e., disease location, knowledge of correct adherence intervals, and information sources of patients consulted regarding Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis) and demonstrated model accuracy up to 74%. SE, as measured by our validated scales, correlates with chart-adherence to surveillance colonoscopy. Our adherence model, which includes SE, predicts adherence with 74% certainty. An 8-item validated clinical questionnaire can be administered to assess whether patients in this population may require further intervention for adherence.

  8. Development of a consensus core dataset in juvenile dermatomyositis for clinical use to inform research.

    PubMed

    McCann, Liza J; Pilkington, Clarissa A; Huber, Adam M; Ravelli, Angelo; Appelbe, Duncan; Kirkham, Jamie J; Williamson, Paula R; Aggarwal, Amita; Christopher-Stine, Lisa; Constantin, Tamas; Feldman, Brian M; Lundberg, Ingrid; Maillard, Sue; Mathiesen, Pernille; Murphy, Ruth; Pachman, Lauren M; Reed, Ann M; Rider, Lisa G; van Royen-Kerkof, Annet; Russo, Ricardo; Spinty, Stefan; Wedderburn, Lucy R; Beresford, Michael W

    2018-02-01

    This study aimed to develop consensus on an internationally agreed dataset for juvenile dermatomyositis (JDM), designed for clinical use, to enhance collaborative research and allow integration of data between centres. A prototype dataset was developed through a formal process that included analysing items within existing databases of patients with idiopathic inflammatory myopathies. This template was used to aid a structured multistage consensus process. Exploiting Delphi methodology, two web-based questionnaires were distributed to healthcare professionals caring for patients with JDM identified through email distribution lists of international paediatric rheumatology and myositis research groups. A separate questionnaire was sent to parents of children with JDM and patients with JDM, identified through established research networks and patient support groups. The results of these parallel processes informed a face-to-face nominal group consensus meeting of international myositis experts, tasked with defining the content of the dataset. This developed dataset was tested in routine clinical practice before review and finalisation. A dataset containing 123 items was formulated with an accompanying glossary. Demographic and diagnostic data are contained within form A collected at baseline visit only, disease activity measures are included within form B collected at every visit and disease damage items within form C collected at baseline and annual visits thereafter. Through a robust international process, a consensus dataset for JDM has been formulated that can capture disease activity and damage over time. This dataset can be incorporated into national and international collaborative efforts, including existing clinical research databases. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  9. Parental attitudes to the care of the carious primary dentition experience from a Nigerian tertiary hospital.

    PubMed

    Popoola, B O; Kolude, B; Denloye, O O

    2013-03-01

    To examine the factors associated with parents choices of dental care concerning carious primary teeth of their children. A structured, self administered questionnaire was issued to parents of children attending the paediatric dental clinic of the University College Hospital (UCH) Ibadan. Items in the questionnaire included a section on the past dental visit(s) of parents, reason(s) for the clinic attendance and treatment(s) received, the second section contained items on parental treatment preferences under two different clinical scenarios of child dental health; scenario 1, asymptomatic carious primary tooth and scenario 2, symptomatic carious primary tooth. The last section contained items on determinants of parents' choice of treatment. Majority of the accompanying parent were mothers (75.8%) with a mean age of 39.3 +/- 6.81, fathers were 20.8% with a mean age of 45.1 +/- 5.24 while others were 3.4% with a mean age of 51.2 +/- 1.09. Under the two clinical scenarios, majority of the parents preferred the dentist to determine the treatment of their children (scenario 1 = 53.7%; scenario 2 = 62.5%). The accompanying parents and their socioeconomic status had no significant effect on parental preferences under the two clinical scenarios while past parental dental treatment had the greatest influence on parental choice (scenario 1:x2 = 12.93; p = 0.03 for past fillings experience and scenario 2: X2 = 6.881. = X 0.001 for past extraction experience). The reliance of parents on dentist for decision on the choice of their children dental treatment and the dependence of parents choice on their past dental treatment experience suggested the need for dental health education to both parents and children on dental caries.

  10. [Validation of the knowledge and attitudes of health professionals in the Living Will Declaration process].

    PubMed

    Contreras-Fernández, Eugenio; Barón-López, Francisco Javier; Méndez-Martínez, Camila; Canca-Sánchez, José Carlos; Cabezón Rodríguez, Isabel; Rivas-Ruiz, Francisco

    2017-04-01

    Evaluate the validity and reliability of the knowledge and attitudes of health professionals questionnaire on the Living Will Declaration (LWD) process. Cross-sectional study structured into 3 phases: (i)pilot questionnaire administered with paper to assess losses and adjustment problems; (ii)assessment of the validity and internal reliability, and (iii)assessment of the pre-filtering questionnaire stability (test-retest). Costa del Sol (Malaga) Health Area. January 2014 to April 2015. Healthcare professionals of the Costa del Sol Primary Care District and the Costa del Sol Health Agency. There were 391 (23.6%) responses, and 100 participated in the stability assessment (83 responses). The questionnaire consisted of 2 parts: (i)Knowledge (5 dimensions and 41 items), and (ii)Attitudes (2 dimensions and 17 items). In the pilot study, none of the items lost over 10%. In the evaluation phase of validity and reliability, the questionnaire was reduced to 41 items (29 of knowledge, and 12 of attitudes). In the stability evaluation phase, all items evaluated met the requirement of a kappa higher than 0.2, or had a percentage of absolute agreement exceeding 75%. The questionnaire will identify the status and areas for improvement in the health care setting, and then will allow an improved culture of LWD process in general population. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  11. COVD-QOL questionnaire: An adaptation for school vision screening using Rasch analysis

    PubMed Central

    Abu Bakar, Nurul Farhana; Ai Hong, Chen; Pik Pin, Goh

    2012-01-01

    Purpose To adapt the College of Optometrist in Vision Development (COVD-QOL) questionnaire as a vision screening tool for primary school children. Methods An interview session was conducted with children, teachers or guardians regarding visual symptoms of 88 children (45 from special education classes and 43 from mainstream classes) in government primary schools. Data was assessed for response categories, fit items (infit/outfit: 0.6–1.4) and separation reliability (item/person: 0.80). The COVD-QOL questionnaire results were compared with vision assessment in identifying three categories of vision disorders: reduce visual acuity, accommodative response anomaly and convergence insufficiency. Analysis on the screening performance using the simplified version of the questionnaire was evaluated based on receiver-operating characteristic analysis for detection of any type of target conditions for both types of classes. Predictive validity analysis was used a Spearman rank correlation (>0.3). Results Two of the response categories were underutilized and therefore collapsed to the adjacent category and items were reduced to 14. Item separation reliability for the simplified version of the questionnaire was acceptable (0.86) but the person separation reliability was inadequate for special education classes (0.79) similar to mainstream classes (0.78). The discriminant cut-off score of 9 (mainstream classes) and 3 (special education classes) from the 14 items provided sensitivity and specificity of (65% and 54%) and (78% and 80%) with Spearman rank correlation of 0.16 and 0.40 respectively. Conclusion The simplified version of COVD-QOL questionnaire (14-items) performs adequately among children in special education classes suggesting its suitability as a vision screening tool.

  12. A Data-Driven Approach to Reverse Engineering Customer Engagement Models: Towards Functional Constructs

    PubMed Central

    de Vries, Natalie Jane; Carlson, Jamie; Moscato, Pablo

    2014-01-01

    Online consumer behavior in general and online customer engagement with brands in particular, has become a major focus of research activity fuelled by the exponential increase of interactive functions of the internet and social media platforms and applications. Current research in this area is mostly hypothesis-driven and much debate about the concept of Customer Engagement and its related constructs remains existent in the literature. In this paper, we aim to propose a novel methodology for reverse engineering a consumer behavior model for online customer engagement, based on a computational and data-driven perspective. This methodology could be generalized and prove useful for future research in the fields of consumer behaviors using questionnaire data or studies investigating other types of human behaviors. The method we propose contains five main stages; symbolic regression analysis, graph building, community detection, evaluation of results and finally, investigation of directed cycles and common feedback loops. The ‘communities’ of questionnaire items that emerge from our community detection method form possible ‘functional constructs’ inferred from data rather than assumed from literature and theory. Our results show consistent partitioning of questionnaire items into such ‘functional constructs’ suggesting the method proposed here could be adopted as a new data-driven way of human behavior modeling. PMID:25036766

  13. A data-driven approach to reverse engineering customer engagement models: towards functional constructs.

    PubMed

    de Vries, Natalie Jane; Carlson, Jamie; Moscato, Pablo

    2014-01-01

    Online consumer behavior in general and online customer engagement with brands in particular, has become a major focus of research activity fuelled by the exponential increase of interactive functions of the internet and social media platforms and applications. Current research in this area is mostly hypothesis-driven and much debate about the concept of Customer Engagement and its related constructs remains existent in the literature. In this paper, we aim to propose a novel methodology for reverse engineering a consumer behavior model for online customer engagement, based on a computational and data-driven perspective. This methodology could be generalized and prove useful for future research in the fields of consumer behaviors using questionnaire data or studies investigating other types of human behaviors. The method we propose contains five main stages; symbolic regression analysis, graph building, community detection, evaluation of results and finally, investigation of directed cycles and common feedback loops. The 'communities' of questionnaire items that emerge from our community detection method form possible 'functional constructs' inferred from data rather than assumed from literature and theory. Our results show consistent partitioning of questionnaire items into such 'functional constructs' suggesting the method proposed here could be adopted as a new data-driven way of human behavior modeling.

  14. Development and validation of an asthma first aid knowledge questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Luckie, Kate; Pang, Tsz Chun; Kritikos, Vicky; Saini, Bandana; Moles, Rebekah Jane

    2018-05-01

    There is no gold standard outcome assessment for asthma first-aid knowledge. We therefore aimed to develop and validate an asthma first-aid knowledge questionnaire (AFAKQ) to be used before and after educational interventions. The AFAKQ was developed based on a content analysis of existing asthma knowledge questionnaires and current asthma management guidelines. Content and face validity was performed by a review panel consisting of expert respiratory physicians, researchers and parents of school aged children. A 21 item questionnaire was then pilot tested among a sample of caregivers, health professionals and pharmacy students. Exploratory Factor analysis was performed to determine internal consistency. The initial 46 item version of the AFAKQ, was reduced to 21 items after revision by the expert panel. This was then pilot tested amongst 161 participants and further reduced to 14 items. The exploratory factor analysis revealed a parsimonious one factor solution with a Cronbach's Alpha of 0.77 with the 14 item AFAKQ. The AFAKQ is a valid tool ready for application in evaluating the impact of educational interventions on asthma first-aid knowledge. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Development and Validation of the Chinese Attitudes to Starting Insulin Questionnaire (Ch-ASIQ) for Primary Care Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

    PubMed Central

    Fu, Sau Nga; Chin, Weng Yee; Wong, Carlos King Ho; Yeung, Vincent Tok Fai; Yiu, Ming Pong; Tsui, Hoi Yee; Chan, Ka Hung

    2013-01-01

    Objectives To develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of a Chinese questionnaire which assesses the barriers and enablers to commencing insulin in primary care patients with poorly controlled Type 2 diabetes. Research Design and Method Questionnaire items were identified using literature review. Content validation was performed and items were further refined using an expert panel. Following translation, back translation and cognitive debriefing, the translated Chinese questionnaire was piloted on target patients. Exploratory factor analysis and item-scale correlations were performed to test the construct validity of the subscales and items. Internal reliability was tested by Cronbach’s alpha. Results Twenty-seven identified items underwent content validation, translation and cognitive debriefing. The translated questionnaire was piloted on 303 insulin naïve (never taken insulin) Type 2 diabetes patients recruited from 10 government-funded primary care clinics across Hong Kong. Sufficient variability in the dataset for factor analysis was confirmed by Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity (P<0.001). Using exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation, 10 factors were generated onto which 26 items loaded with loading scores > 0.4 and Eigenvalues >1. Total variance for the 10 factors was 66.22%. Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure was 0.725. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients for the first four factors were ≥0.6 identifying four sub-scales to which 13 items correlated. Remaining sub-scales and items with poor internal reliability were deleted. The final 13-item instrument had a four scale structure addressing: ‘Self-image and stigmatization’; ‘Factors promoting self-efficacy; ‘Fear of pain or needles’; and ‘Time and family support’. Conclusion The Chinese Attitudes to Starting Insulin Questionnaire (Ch-ASIQ) appears to be a reliable and valid measure for assessing barriers to starting insulin. This short instrument is easy to administer and may be used by healthcare providers and researchers as an assessment tool for Chinese diabetic primary care patients, including the elderly, who are unwilling to start insulin. PMID:24236071

  16. Development and validation of health related quality of life questionnaire (Indian scenario) in diabetic foot ulcer patients.

    PubMed

    Kateel, Ramya; Augustine, Alfred J; Ullal, Sheetal; Prabhu, Shivananda; Bhat, Rahul; Adhikari, Prabha

    2017-12-01

    To develop and validate Health Related Quality of Life Questionnaire in Diabetic Foot Ulcer Patients (HRQLQDFU) for Indian scenario. This study was conducted in two phases. First phase was Development of HRQLQDFU which included literature search and expert interview. Second phase was validation of HRQLQDFL which included face validation, content validation and construct validation. Face validation was done by ten diabetic foot ulcer patients, ten practicing nurses and ten care givers. They were asked to read and respond to questionnaire and report any difficulty in understanding the questions. Further they were asked to add any item to the questionnaire which according to them has a significant effect on quality of life. Content validation was done by six subject experts who judged the content relevance of questionnaire with score ranging from zero to four; zero being least relevant and four being most relevant. Content validity index was calculated for each question. Questions having content validity index≥0.8 were selected for the study. Reliability was tested by calculating Cronbach's alpha. In the development phase a questionnaire containing 37 questions with six domains was developed. None of patient had difficulty in understanding questions. After content validation a new questionnaire containing 20 questions was developed. Cronbach's alpha was 0.86 which shows good reliability. The new health related quality of life questionnaire on diabetic foot ulcer patients for an Indian scenario is validated and can be a reliably measure for quality of life in diabetic foot ulcer patients. Copyright © 2017 Diabetes India. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Construct Validity and Reliability of a New Spanish Empathy Questionnaire for Children and Early Adolescents

    PubMed Central

    Richaud, Maria C.; Lemos, Viviana N.; Mesurado, Belen; Oros, Laura

    2017-01-01

    Empathy is a basic socio-emotional process of human development that involves the ability to perceive, share, and understand the emotional states of others. This process is essential to successful social functioning. However, despite its significance, empathy has been difficult to define and measure, particularly when incorporating both its emotional and cognitive aspects. The purpose of this study was to develop an Empathy Questionnaire for children aged 9–12 years based on a model of social cognitive neuroscience and to analyze its construct validity and reliability. This questionnaire aimed to integrate the following aspects: emotional contagion, self-other awareness, perspective-taking, emotional regulation, and empathic action. Three studies were conducted. Study 1 evaluated the discriminative power of the items and studied the underlying structure of the instrument using exploratory factor analysis. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the model obtained. Finally, the goal of Study 3 was to analyze the convergent and discriminant validity of the questionnaire and the internal consistency of its dimensions. The final version of the instrument contained 15 items that operationalized the previously listed dimensions. The results of the 3 studies indicated that the questionnaire had good validity and reliability. This study has important implications for research and clinical practice. Given its simplicity and brevity, this new self-report scale may work well as a screening method to evaluate the key psychological issues underlying numerous child behaviors that predict the success or failure of social relationships, individual quality of life, and mental well-being. PMID:28659848

  18. Construct Validity and Reliability of a New Spanish Empathy Questionnaire for Children and Early Adolescents.

    PubMed

    Richaud, Maria C; Lemos, Viviana N; Mesurado, Belen; Oros, Laura

    2017-01-01

    Empathy is a basic socio-emotional process of human development that involves the ability to perceive, share, and understand the emotional states of others. This process is essential to successful social functioning. However, despite its significance, empathy has been difficult to define and measure, particularly when incorporating both its emotional and cognitive aspects. The purpose of this study was to develop an Empathy Questionnaire for children aged 9-12 years based on a model of social cognitive neuroscience and to analyze its construct validity and reliability. This questionnaire aimed to integrate the following aspects: emotional contagion, self-other awareness, perspective-taking, emotional regulation , and empathic action. Three studies were conducted. Study 1 evaluated the discriminative power of the items and studied the underlying structure of the instrument using exploratory factor analysis. In Study 2, confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the model obtained. Finally, the goal of Study 3 was to analyze the convergent and discriminant validity of the questionnaire and the internal consistency of its dimensions. The final version of the instrument contained 15 items that operationalized the previously listed dimensions. The results of the 3 studies indicated that the questionnaire had good validity and reliability. This study has important implications for research and clinical practice. Given its simplicity and brevity, this new self-report scale may work well as a screening method to evaluate the key psychological issues underlying numerous child behaviors that predict the success or failure of social relationships, individual quality of life, and mental well-being.

  19. A parent-report gender identity questionnaire for children.

    PubMed

    Johnson, Laurel L; Bradley, Susan J; Birkenfeld-Adams, Andrea S; Kuksis, Myra A Radzins; Maing, Dianne M; Mitchell, Janet N; Zucker, Kenneth J

    2004-04-01

    This paper reports on the psychometric properties of a 16-item parent-report Gender Identity Questionnaire, originally developed by P. H. Elizabeth and R. Green (1984), to aid in the assessment of children with potential problems in their gender identity development. The questionnaire, which covered aspects of the core phenomenology of gender identity disorder (GID), was completed by parents of gender-referred children (N = 325) and controls (siblings, clinic-referred, and nonreferred; N = 504), who ranged in age from 2.5-12 years (mean age, 7.6 years). Factor-analysis indicated that a one-factor solution, containing 14 of the 16 items with factor loadings > or =.30, best fit the data, accounting for 43.7% of the variance. The gender-referred children had a significantly more deviant total score than did the controls, with a large effect size of 3.70. The GIQ total score had negligible age effects, indicating that the questionnaire has utility for assessing change over time. The gender-referred children who met the complete DSM criteria for GID had a significantly more deviant total score than did the children who were subthreshold for GID, although the latter group had a mean score that was closer to the threshold cases than to the controls. With a specificity rate set at 95% for the controls, the sensitivity rate for the probands was 86.8%. It is concluded that this parent-report gender identity questionnaire has excellent psychometric properties and can serve as a useful screening device for front-line clinicians, for whom more extensive, expensive, and time-consuming assessment procedures may be precluded.

  20. 10 CFR 835.605 - Labeling items and containers.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... 10 Energy 4 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Labeling items and containers. 835.605 Section 835.605... items and containers. Except as provided at § 835.606, each item or container of radioactive material... information to permit individuals handling, using, or working in the vicinity of the items or containers to...

  1. Pretest and refinement of items for alcohol highway safety surveys

    DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

    1984-05-30

    This study summarizes the procedures employed in pre-testing a set of alcohol-highway safety questionnaire items. The procedures included conducting a set of focus groups and a series of telephone interviews on several forms of the questionnaires. Th...

  2. The Manual Work Instability Scale: development and validation.

    PubMed

    Gilworth, G; Smyth, M G; Smith, J; Tennant, A

    2016-06-01

    Increasing awareness of the burden of absenteeism and reduced performance at work highlights the importance of early identification of individuals experiencing work instability (WI), a mismatch between functional and cognitive abilities and job demands. To develop and validate a screening questionnaire to measure WI in manual workers. Questionnaire items were generated via qualitative interviews with manual workers and a draft survey instrument was completed by workers in a variety of fields. Rasch analysis was used interactively to assess the psychometric aspects of the emerging scale, including unidimensionality and absence of item bias (differential item functioning). A total of 17 qualitative interviews generated 110 potential items for the questionnaire. The item set resolved to a 25-item scale, which satisfied model expectations (item residual mean = -0.13, SD = 1.04; person residual mean = -0.29, SD = 0.75), had good reliability (alpha = 0.86) and strict unidimensionality (t-test 7.5% confidence interval 3.8-11.2). The Manual Work Instability Scale is a short psychometrically robust questionnaire based on the concept of WI, which incorporates both musculoskeletal symptoms and relevant psychosocial factors. It may prove effective in screening and identifying WI in workers in predominantly physical occupations. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  3. The measurement artifact in the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Caught, K; Shadur, M A; Rodwell, J J

    2000-12-01

    This study empirically examined the debate in the literature regarding the dimensionality of the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire. The sample comprised 803 employees from organizations in the information technology and hospitality industries. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire appears to have a two-factor structure, with one factor consisting of positively worded items and the other factor, negatively worded items. Scores on both factors correlated significantly with job satisfaction, suggesting that both factors appear to be measuring a similar aspect of organizational commitment and that they present as two factors given as measurement artifacts of the item wording.

  4. Validation of a Persian version of the Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ-P).

    PubMed

    Bidari, Ali; Hassanzadeh, Morteza; Mohabat, Mohamad-Farzam; Talachian, Elham; Khoei, Effat Merghati

    2014-02-01

    The aim of this study is to translate, adapt, and validate a Persian version of the Fibromyalgia (FM) Impact Questionnaire (FIQ-P). The FIQ-P was adapted following the translation and back-translation approach; then, it was administered to thirty females with FM. Participants also completed two other validated questionnaires, the Medical Outcome Survey Short Form-36 (SF-36) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Internal consistency within the FIQ-P items and its test-retest reliability were assessed with Cronbach's alpha and Spearman's correlation coefficient, respectively. Construct validity was analyzed by Spearman's r when correlating the FIQ-P to other questionnaires. The translated version was concordant. Adaptation affected two sub-items of physical function. Participants' mean age ± standard deviation was 40.4 ± 9.0 years. Internal consistency proved good with α = 0.80. Test-retest coefficient ranged from 0.50 for the item "work days missed" to 0.79 for all FIQ-P items. Fair and statistically significant (P < 0.01) correlations were found between the FIQ-P items and two other questionnaires, SF-36 (r = -0.57) and BDI (r = 0.53). We concluded that the FIQ-P is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring health status of Persian-speaking FM patients.

  5. Development of a questionnaire for assessing the childbirth experience (QACE).

    PubMed

    Carquillat, Pierre; Vendittelli, Françoise; Perneger, Thomas; Guittier, Marie-Julia

    2017-08-30

    Due to its potential impact on women's psychological health, assessing perceptions of their childbirth experience is important. The aim of this study was to develop a multidimensional self-reporting questionnaire to evaluate the childbirth experience. Factors influencing the childbirth experience were identified from a literature review and the results of a previous qualitative study. A total of 25 items were combined from existing instruments or were created de novo. A draft version was pilot tested for face validity with 30 women and submitted for evaluation of its construct validity to 477 primiparous women at one-month post-partum. The recruitment took place in two obstetric clinics from Swiss and French university hospitals. To evaluate the content validity, we compared item responses to general childbirth experience assessments on a numeric, 0 to 10 rating scale. We dichotomized two group assessment scores: "0 to 7" and "8 to 10". We performed an exploratory factor analysis to identify underlying dimensions. In total, 291 women completed the questionnaire (response rate = 61%). The responses to 22 items were statistically significant between the 0 to 7 and 8 to 10 groups for the general childbirth experience assessments. An exploratory factor analysis yielded four sub-scales, which were labelled "relationship with staff" (4 items), "emotional status" (3 items), "first moments with the new born," (3 items) and "feelings at one month postpartum" (3 items). All 4 scales had satisfactory internal consistency levels (alpha coefficients from 0.70 to 0.85). The full 25-item version can be used to analyse each item by itself, and the short 4-dimension version can be scored to summarize the general assessment of the childbirth experience. The Questionnaire for Assessing the Childbirth Experience (QACE) could be useful as a screening instrument to identify women with negative childbirth experiences. It can be used as both a research instrument in its short version and a questionnaire for use in clinical practice in its full version.

  6. Effect of the framing of questionnaire items regarding satisfaction with training on residents' responses.

    PubMed

    Guyatt, G H; Cook, D J; King, D; Norman, G R; Kane, S L; van Ineveld, C

    1999-02-01

    To determine whether framing questions positively or negatively influences residents' apparent satisfaction with their training. In 1993-94, 276 residents at five Canadian internal medicine residency programs responded to 53 Likert-scale items designed to determine sources of the residents' satisfaction and stress. Two versions of the questionnaire were randomly distributed: one in which half the items were stated positively and the other half negatively, the other version in which the items were stated in the opposite way. The residents scored 43 of the 53 items higher when stated positively and scored ten higher when stated negatively (p < .0001). When analyzed using an analysis-of-variance model, the effect of positive versus negative framing was highly significant (F = 129.81, p < .0001). While the interaction between item and framing was also significant, the effect was much less strong (F = 5.56, p < .0001). On a scale where 1 represented the lowest possible level of satisfaction and 7 the highest, the mean score of the positively stated items was 4.1 and that of the negatively stated items, 3.8, an effect of 0.3. These results suggest a significant "response acquiescence bias." To minimize this bias, questionnaires assessing attitudes toward educational programs should include a mix of positively and negatively stated items.

  7. Social support for healthy eating: development and validation of a questionnaire for the French-Canadian population.

    PubMed

    Carbonneau, Elise; Bradette-Laplante, Maude; Lamarche, Benoît; Provencher, Véronique; Bégin, Catherine; Robitaille, Julie; Desroches, Sophie; Vohl, Marie-Claude; Corneau, Louise; Lemieux, Simone

    2018-05-28

    The present study aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire assessing social support for healthy eating in a French-Canadian population. A twenty-one-item questionnaire was developed. For each item, participants were asked to rate the frequency, in the past month, with which the actions described had been done by family and friends in two different environments: (i) at home and (ii) outside of home. The content was evaluated by an expert panel. A validation study sample was recruited and completed the questionnaire twice. Exploratory factor analysis was performed on items to assess the number of subscales. Internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach's ɑ. Test-retest reliability was evaluated with intraclass correlations between scores of the two completions. Online survey. Men and women from the Québec City area (n 150). The content validity assessment led to a few changes, resulting in a twenty-two-item questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure for both environments, resulting in four subscales: supportive actions at home; non-supportive actions at home; supportive actions outside of home; and non-supportive actions outside of home. Two items were removed from the questionnaire due to low loadings. The four subscales were found to be reliable (Cronbach's ɑ=0·82-0·94; test-retest intraclass correlation=0·51-0·70). The Social Support for Healthy Eating Questionnaire was developed for a French-Canadian population and demonstrated good psychometric properties. This questionnaire will be useful to explore the role of social support and its interactions with other factors in predicting eating behaviours.

  8. Emotional Intelligence and Nurse Recruitment: Rasch and confirmatory factor analysis of the trait emotional intelligence questionnaire short form.

    PubMed

    Snowden, Austyn; Watson, Roger; Stenhouse, Rosie; Hale, Claire

    2015-12-01

    To examine the construct validity of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short form. Emotional intelligence involves the identification and regulation of our own emotions and the emotions of others. It is therefore a potentially useful construct in the investigation of recruitment and retention in nursing and many questionnaires have been constructed to measure it. Secondary analysis of existing dataset of responses to Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short form using concurrent application of Rasch analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. First year undergraduate nursing and computing students completed Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form in September 2013. Responses were analysed by synthesising results of Rasch analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Participants (N = 938) completed Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short form. Rasch analysis showed the majority of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire-Short Form items made a unique contribution to the latent trait of emotional intelligence. Five items did not fit the model and differential item functioning (gender) accounted for this misfit. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed a four-factor structure consisting of: self-confidence, empathy, uncertainty and social connection. All five misfitting items from the Rasch analysis belonged to the 'social connection' factor. The concurrent use of Rasch and factor analysis allowed for novel interpretation of Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short form. Much of the response variation in Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire Short form can be accounted for by the social connection factor. Implications for practice are discussed. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Electronic Quality of Life Assessment Using Computer-Adaptive Testing

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    Background Quality of life (QoL) questionnaires are desirable for clinical practice but can be time-consuming to administer and interpret, making their widespread adoption difficult. Objective Our aim was to assess the performance of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-100 questionnaire as four item banks to facilitate adaptive testing using simulated computer adaptive tests (CATs) for physical, psychological, social, and environmental QoL. Methods We used data from the UK WHOQOL-100 questionnaire (N=320) to calibrate item banks using item response theory, which included psychometric assessments of differential item functioning, local dependency, unidimensionality, and reliability. We simulated CATs to assess the number of items administered before prespecified levels of reliability was met. Results The item banks (40 items) all displayed good model fit (P>.01) and were unidimensional (fewer than 5% of t tests significant), reliable (Person Separation Index>.70), and free from differential item functioning (no significant analysis of variance interaction) or local dependency (residual correlations < +.20). When matched for reliability, the item banks were between 45% and 75% shorter than paper-based WHOQOL measures. Across the four domains, a high standard of reliability (alpha>.90) could be gained with a median of 9 items. Conclusions Using CAT, simulated assessments were as reliable as paper-based forms of the WHOQOL with a fraction of the number of items. These properties suggest that these item banks are suitable for computerized adaptive assessment. These item banks have the potential for international development using existing alternative language versions of the WHOQOL items. PMID:27694100

  10. Optimizing Efficiency of Psychopathology Assessment through Quantitative Modeling: Development of a Brief Form of the Externalizing Spectrum Inventory

    PubMed Central

    Patrick, Christopher J.; Kramer, Mark D.; Krueger, Robert F.; Markon, Kristian E.

    2014-01-01

    The Externalizing Spectrum Inventory (ESI; Krueger, Markon, Patrick, Benning, & Kramer, 2007) provides for integrated, hierarchical assessment of a broad range of problem behaviors and traits in the domain of deficient impulse control. The ESI assesses traits and problems in this domain through 23 lower-order facet scales organized around three higher-order dimensions, reflecting general disinhibition, callous-aggression, and substance abuse. The full-form ESI contains 415 items, and a shorter form would be useful for questionnaire screening studies or multi-domain research protocols. The current work employed item response theory and structural modeling methods to create a 160-item brief form (ESI-bf) that provides for efficient measurement of the ESI’s lower-order facets and quantification of its higher-order dimensions either as scale-based factors or as item-based composites. The ESI-bf is recommended for use in research on psychological or neurobiological correlates of problems such as risk-taking, delinquency, aggression, and substance abuse, and studies of general and specific mechanisms that give rise to problems of these kinds. PMID:24320765

  11. The psychometric properties of the 'Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture' in Dutch hospitals.

    PubMed

    Smits, Marleen; Christiaans-Dingelhoff, Ingrid; Wagner, Cordula; Wal, Gerrit van der; Groenewegen, Peter P

    2008-11-07

    In many different countries the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture (HSOPS) is used to assess the safety culture in hospitals. Accordingly, the questionnaire has been translated into Dutch for application in the Netherlands. The aim of this study was to examine the underlying dimensions and psychometric properties of the questionnaire in Dutch hospital settings, and to compare these results with the original questionnaire used in USA hospital settings. The HSOPS was completed by 583 staff members of four general hospitals, three teaching hospitals, and one university hospital in the Netherlands. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed to examine the applicability of the factor structure of the American questionnaire to the Dutch data. Explorative factor analyses were performed to examine whether another composition of items and factors would fit the data better. Supplementary psychometric analyses were performed, including internal consistency and construct validity. The confirmatory factor analyses were based on the 12-factor model of the original questionnaire and resulted in a few low reliability scores. 11 Factors were drawn with explorative factor analyses, with acceptable reliability scores and a good construct validity. Two items were removed from the questionnaire. The composition of the factors was very similar to that of the original questionnaire. A few items moved to another factor and two factors turned out to combine into a six-item dimension. All other dimensions consisted of two to five items. The Dutch translation of the HSOPS consists of 11 factors with acceptable reliability and good construct validity. and is similar to the original HSOPS factor structure.

  12. There’s more to food store choice than proximity: a questionnaire development study

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Proximity of food stores is associated with dietary intake and obesity; however, individuals frequently shop at stores that are not the most proximal. Little is known about other factors that influence food store choice. The current research describes the development of the Food Store Selection Questionnaire (FSSQ) and describes preliminary results of field testing the questionnaire. Methods Development of the FSSQ involved a multidisciplinary literature review, qualitative analysis of focus group transcripts, and expert and community reviews. Field testing consisted of 100 primary household food shoppers (93% female, 64% African American), in rural and urban Arkansas communities, rating FSSQ items as to their importance in store choice and indicating their top two reasons. After eliminating 14 items due to low mean importance scores and high correlations with other items, the final FSSQ questionnaire consists of 49 items. Results Items rated highest in importance were: meat freshness; store maintenance; store cleanliness; meat varieties; and store safety. Items most commonly rated as top reasons were: low prices; proximity to home; fruit/vegetable freshness; fruit/vegetable variety; and store cleanliness. Conclusions The FSSQ is a comprehensive questionnaire for detailing key reasons in food store choice. Although proximity to home was a consideration for participants, there were clearly other key factors in their choice of a food store. Understanding the relative importance of these different dimensions driving food store choice in specific communities may be beneficial in informing policies and programs designed to support healthy dietary intake and obesity prevention. PMID:23773428

  13. There's more to food store choice than proximity: a questionnaire development study.

    PubMed

    Krukowski, Rebecca A; Sparks, Carla; DiCarlo, Marisha; McSweeney, Jean; West, Delia Smith

    2013-06-17

    Proximity of food stores is associated with dietary intake and obesity; however, individuals frequently shop at stores that are not the most proximal. Little is known about other factors that influence food store choice. The current research describes the development of the Food Store Selection Questionnaire (FSSQ) and describes preliminary results of field testing the questionnaire. Development of the FSSQ involved a multidisciplinary literature review, qualitative analysis of focus group transcripts, and expert and community reviews. Field testing consisted of 100 primary household food shoppers (93% female, 64% African American), in rural and urban Arkansas communities, rating FSSQ items as to their importance in store choice and indicating their top two reasons. After eliminating 14 items due to low mean importance scores and high correlations with other items, the final FSSQ questionnaire consists of 49 items. Items rated highest in importance were: meat freshness; store maintenance; store cleanliness; meat varieties; and store safety. Items most commonly rated as top reasons were: low prices; proximity to home; fruit/vegetable freshness; fruit/vegetable variety; and store cleanliness. The FSSQ is a comprehensive questionnaire for detailing key reasons in food store choice. Although proximity to home was a consideration for participants, there were clearly other key factors in their choice of a food store. Understanding the relative importance of these different dimensions driving food store choice in specific communities may be beneficial in informing policies and programs designed to support healthy dietary intake and obesity prevention.

  14. Psychometric assessment of the Family Satisfaction in the Intensive Care Unit questionnaire in the United Kingdom.

    PubMed

    Harrison, David A; Ferrando-Vivas, Paloma; Wright, Stephen E; McColl, Elaine; Heyland, Daren K; Rowan, Kathryn M

    2017-04-01

    To establish the psychometric properties of the Family Satisfaction in the Intensive Care Unit 24-item (FS-ICU-24) questionnaire in the United Kingdom. The Family-Reported Experiences Evaluation study recruited family members of patients staying at least 24 hours in 20 participating intensive care units. Questionnaires were evaluated for nonresponse, floor/ceiling effects, redundancy, and construct validity. Internal consistency was evaluated with item-to-own scale correlations and Cronbach α. Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses were used to explore the underlying structure. Twelve thousand three hundred forty-six family members of 6380 patients were recruited and 7173 (58%) family members of 4615 patients returned a completed questionnaire. One family member per patient was included in the psychometric assessment. Six items had greater than 10% nonresponse; 1 item had a ceiling effect; and 11 items had potential redundancy. Internal consistency was high (Cronbach α, overall .96; satisfaction with care, .94; satisfaction with decision making, .93). The 2-factor solution was not a good fit. Exploratory factor analysis indicated that satisfaction with decision making encompassed 2 constructs-satisfaction with information and satisfaction with the decision-making process. The Family Satisfaction in the Intensive Care Unit 24-item questionnaire demonstrated good psychometric properties in the United Kingdom setting. Construct validity could be improved by use of 3 domains and some scope for further improvement was identified. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Psychometric Properties of Prodromal Questionnaire-Brief Version among Chinese Help-Seeking Individuals

    PubMed Central

    Xu, LiHua; Zhang, TianHong; Zheng, LiNa; Li, HuiJun; Tang, YingYing; Luo, XingGuang; Sheng, JianHua; Wang, JiJun

    2016-01-01

    Prodromal Questionnaire (PQ) and Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes (SIPS) have been used as a two-stage process for identifying subjects at clinical high risk (CHR) of psychosis. The Prodromal Questionnaire-Brief version (PQ-B) contains 21 items derived from the PQ. The present study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of PQ-B in a Chinese help-seeking outpatient sample and to explore which items can better predict CHR diagnosis by SIPS and future transition to psychosis. In our preliminary epidemiological study, 1461 patients from a pool of 2101 individuals (15–45 years of age) completed the two-stage process. In the present study, 239 (20%) people were randomly selected among the sample who met the initial PQ-B screening criteria but had no positive diagnosis on SIPS, as well as 72 individuals with negative results on both PQ-B and SIPS, 89 prodromal and 105 psychotic subjects, yielding a total of 505 participants. The internal consistency coefficient for the PQ-B was good, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.897. The concordant validity of PQ-B with SIPS dichotomized diagnosis of prodrome/psychosis versus no psychosis was 0.54. To ensure 80% or a higher sensitivity and a certain specificity, 7 and 24 were respectively set as the cutoff points for the PQ-B total score and distress score for Chinese help-seeking outpatients. A logistic regression model based on six PQ-B items could allow predicting the psychotic diagnosis on SIPS, with an accuracy of 65.8%. Prodromal individuals who scored higher on the 12th item of PQ-B (Do you worry at times that something may be wrong with your mind?) were less likely to convert to psychosis. PQ-B is a useful instrument for screening CHR subjects, but the cutoff score may be higher than that recommended by the author scores for help-seeking individuals in outpatient clinics. Some specific PQ-B items may have significant predictive power on dichotomized SIPS diagnoses and deserve special attention from researchers in future studies. PMID:26859774

  16. The Revised Two-Factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F): Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analyses at Item Level

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Justicia, Fernando; Pichardo, M. Carmen; Cano, Francisco; Berben, A. B. G.; De la Fuente, Jesus

    2008-01-01

    The underlying structure of the Revised Two Factor version of the Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F), a 20-item instrument for the evaluation of students' approaches to learning (SAL), was examined at item level using two independent groups of undergraduate students enrolled in the first (n = 314) and last (n = 522) years of their studies. The…

  17. Development and Validation of a Questionnaire on Breastfeeding Intentions, Attitudes and Knowledge of a Sample of Croatian Secondary-School Students.

    PubMed

    Čatipović, Marija; Marković, Martina; Grgurić, Josip

    2018-04-27

    Validating a questionnaire/instrument before proceeding to the field for data collection is important. An 18-item breastfeeding intention, 39-item attitude and 44-item knowledge questionnaire was validated in a Croatian sample of secondary-school students ( N = 277). For the intentions, principal component analysis (PCA) yielded a four-factor solution with 8 items explaining 68.3% of the total variance. Cronbach’s alpha (0.71) indicated satisfactory internal consistency. For the attitudes, PCA showed a seven-factor structure with 33 items explaining 58.41% of total variance. Cronbach’s alpha (0.87) indicated good internal consistency. There were 13 knowledge questions that were retained after item analysis, showing good internal consistency (KR20 = 0.83). In terms of criterion validity, the questionnaire differentiated between students who received breastfeeding education compared to students who were not educated in breastfeeding. Correlations between intentions and attitudes (r = 0.49), intentions and knowledge (r = 0.29), and attitudes and knowledge (r = 0.38) confirmed concurrent validity. The final instrument is reliable and valid for data collection on breastfeeding. Therefore, the instrument is recommended for evaluation of breastfeeding education programs aimed at upper-grade elementary and secondary school students.

  18. Development and Validation of a Questionnaire on Breastfeeding Intentions, Attitudes and Knowledge of a Sample of Croatian Secondary-School Students

    PubMed Central

    Marković, Martina; Grgurić, Josip

    2018-01-01

    Background: Validating a questionnaire/instrument before proceeding to the field for data collection is important. Methods: An 18-item breastfeeding intention, 39-item attitude and 44-item knowledge questionnaire was validated in a Croatian sample of secondary-school students (N = 277). Results: For the intentions, principal component analysis (PCA) yielded a four-factor solution with 8 items explaining 68.3% of the total variance. Cronbach’s alpha (0.71) indicated satisfactory internal consistency. For the attitudes, PCA showed a seven-factor structure with 33 items explaining 58.41% of total variance. Cronbach’s alpha (0.87) indicated good internal consistency. There were 13 knowledge questions that were retained after item analysis, showing good internal consistency (KR20 = 0.83). In terms of criterion validity, the questionnaire differentiated between students who received breastfeeding education compared to students who were not educated in breastfeeding. Correlations between intentions and attitudes (r = 0.49), intentions and knowledge (r = 0.29), and attitudes and knowledge (r = 0.38) confirmed concurrent validity. Conclusions: The final instrument is reliable and valid for data collection on breastfeeding. Therefore, the instrument is recommended for evaluation of breastfeeding education programs aimed at upper-grade elementary and secondary school students. PMID:29702616

  19. Psychometric properties of the Danish student well-being questionnaire assessed in >250,000 student responders.

    PubMed

    Niclasen, Janni; Keilow, Maria; Obel, Carsten

    2018-05-01

    Well-being is considered a prerequisite for learning. The Danish Ministry of Education initiated the development of a new 40-item student well-being questionnaire in 2014 to monitor well-being among all Danish public school students on a yearly basis. The aim of this study was to investigate the basic psychometric properties of this questionnaire. We used the data from the 2015 Danish student well-being survey for 268,357 students in grades 4-9 (about 85% of the study population). Descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analyses, confirmatory factor analyses and Cronbach's α reliability measures were used in the analyses. The factor analyses did not unambiguously support one particular factor structure. However, based on the basic descriptive statistics, exploratory factor analyses, confirmatory factor analyses, the semantics of the individual items and Cronbach's α, we propose a four-factor structure including 27 of the 40 items originally proposed. The four scales measure school connectedness, learning self-efficacy, learning environment and classroom management. Two bullying items and two psychosomatic items should be considered separately, leaving 31 items in the questionnaire. The proposed four-factor structure addresses central aspects of well-being, which, if used constructively, may support public schools' work to increase levels of student well-being.

  20. Development and Initial Validation of the Five-Factor Model Adolescent Personality Questionnaire (FFM-APQ).

    PubMed

    Rogers, Mary E; Glendon, A Ian

    2018-01-01

    This research reports on the 4-phase development of the 25-item Five-Factor Model Adolescent Personality Questionnaire (FFM-APQ). The purpose was to develop and determine initial evidence for validity of a brief adolescent personality inventory using a vocabulary that could be understood by adolescents up to 18 years old. Phase 1 (N = 48) consisted of item generation and expert (N = 5) review of items; Phase 2 (N = 179) involved item analyses; in Phase 3 (N = 496) exploratory factor analysis assessed the underlying structure; in Phase 4 (N = 405) confirmatory factor analyses resulted in a 25-item inventory with 5 subscales.

  1. The development of an instrument to assess chemistry perceptions

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Wells, Raymond R.

    The instrument, developed in this study, attempted to correct the deficiencies of previous instruments. Statements of belief and opinion can be validly included under the construct of chemistry perceptions. Further, statements that might be better characterized as science attitudes, math attitudes, or attitudes toward a specific course or program were not included. Eliminating statements of math anxiety and test anxiety insured that responses to statements of anxiety were perceptions of anxiety solely related to chemistry. The results of the expert judges' responses to the Validation of Proposed Perception Statements forms were detailed to establish construct and content validity. The nature of Likert scale construction and calculation of internal consistency also supported the validity of the instrument. A pilot Chemistry Perception Questionnaire (CPQ) was then constructed based on agreement of the appropriate subscale and mean importance of the perception statements. The pilot CPQ results were subjected to an item analysis based on three sets of statistics: the frequency of each response and the percentage of respondents making each response for each perception statement, the mean and standard deviations for each item, and the item discrimination index which correlated the item scores with the subscale scores. With no zero or negative correlations to the subscale scores, it was not necessary to replace any of the perception statements contained in the pilot instrument. Therefore, the piloted Chemistry Perception Questionnaire became the final instrument. Factor analysis confirmed the multidimensionality of the instrument. The instrument was administered twice with a separation interval of approximately one month in order to perform a test-retest reliability analysis. One hundred and forty-one pairs were matched and results detailed. The correlation between forms, for the total instrument, was 0.9342. The mean coefficient alpha, for the total instrument, was 0.9495. With test-retest correlations and alphas exceeding 0.70 for all seven subscales and the total instrument, it was determined that the Chemistry Perception Questionnaire instrument achieved reasonably high reliability estimations.

  2. Development and psychometric testing of a new instrument to measure factors influencing women's breast cancer prevention behaviors (ASSISTS).

    PubMed

    Khazaee-Pool, Maryam; Majlessi, Fereshteh; Montazeri, Ali; Pashaei, Tahereh; Gholami, Ali; Ponnet, Koen

    2016-07-22

    Breast cancer preventive behaviors have an extreme effect on women's health. Despite the benefits of preventive behaviors regarding breast cancer, they have not been implemented as routine care for healthy women. To assess this health issue, a reliable and valid scale is needed. The aim of the present study is to develop and examine the psychometric properties of a new scale, called the ASSISTS, in order to identify factors that affect women's breast cancer prevention behaviors. A multi-phase instrument development method was performed to develop the questionnaire from February 2012 to September 2014. The item pool was generated based on secondary analyses of previous qualitative data. Then, content and face validity were applied to provide a pre-final version of the scale. The scale validation was conducted with a sample of women recruited from health centers affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The construct validity (both exploratory and confirmatory), convergent validity, discriminate validity, internal consistency reliability and test-retest analysis of the questionnaire were tested. Fifty-eight items were initially extracted from the secondary analysis of previous qualitative data. After content validity, this was reduced to 49 items. The exploratory factor analysis revealed seven factors (Attitude, supportive systems, self-efficacy, information seeking, stress management, stimulant and self-care) containing 33 items that jointly accounted for 60.62 % of the observed variance. The confirmatory factor analysis showed a model with appropriate fitness for the data. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the subscales ranged from 0.68 to 0.85, and the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) ranged from 0.71 to 0.98; which is well above the acceptable thresholds. The findings showed that the designed questionnaire was a valid and reliable instrument for assessing factors affecting women's breast cancer prevention behaviors that can be used both in practice and in future studies.

  3. How and Why Students Learn: Development and Validation of the Learner Awareness Levels Questionnaire for Higher Education Students

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Choy, S. Chee; Goh, Pauline Swee Choo; Sedhu, Daljeet Singh

    2016-01-01

    The development of the 21-item Learner Awareness Levels Questionnaire (LALQ) was carried out using data from three separate studies. The LALQ is a self-reporting questionnaire assessing how and why students learn. Study 1 refined the initial pool of items to 21 using exploratory factor analysis. In Study 2, the analysis showed evidence for a…

  4. The Subthreshold Autism Trait Questionnaire (SATQ): Development of a Brief Self-Report Measure of Subthreshold Autism Traits

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Kanne, Stephen M.; Wang, Jennifer; Christ, Shawn E.

    2012-01-01

    The current study was motivated by a need for a self-report questionnaire that assesses a broad range of subthreshold autism traits, is brief and easily administered, and is relevant to the general population. An initial item pool was administered to 1,709 students. Structural validity analysis resulted in a 24-item questionnaire termed the…

  5. Development and Validation of an HIV Risk Exposure and Indicator Conditions Questionnaire to Support Targeted HIV Screening.

    PubMed

    Elías, María Jesús Pérez; Gómez-Ayerbe, Cristina; Elías, Pilar Pérez; Muriel, Alfonso; de Santiago, Alberto Diaz; Martinez-Colubi, María; Moreno, Ana; Santos, Cristina; Polo, Lidia; Barea, Rafa; Robledillo, Gema; Uranga, Almudena; Espín, Agustina Cano; Quereda, Carmen; Dronda, Fernando; Casado, Jose Luis; Moreno, Santiago

    2016-02-01

    The aim of our study was to develop a Spanish-structured HIV risk of exposure and indicator conditions (RE&IC) questionnaire. People attending to an emergency room or to a primary clinical care center were offered to participate in a prospective, 1 arm, open label study, in which all enrolled patients filled out our developed questionnaire and were HIV tested. Questionnaire accuracy, feasibility, and reliability were evaluated.Valid paired 5329 HIV RE&IC questionnaire and rapid HIV tests were performed, 69.3% in the primary clinical care center, 49.6% women, median age 37 years old, 74.9% Spaniards, 20.1% Latin-Americans. Confirmed hidden HIV infection was detected in 4.1%, while HIV RE&IC questionnaire was positive in 51.2%. HIV RE&IC questionnaire sensitivity was 100% to predict HIV infection, with a 100% negative predictive value. When considered separately, RE or IC items sensitivity decreases to 86.4% or 91%, and similarly their negative predictive value to 99.9% for both of them. The majority of people studied, 90.8% self-completed HIV RE&IC questionnaire. Median time to complete was 3 minutes. Overall HIV RE&IC questionnaire test-retest Kappa agreement was 0.82 (almost perfect), likewise for IC items 0.89, while for RE items was lower 0.78 (substantial).A feasible and reliable Spanish HIV RE&IC self questionnaire accurately discriminated all non-HIV-infected people without missing any HIV diagnoses, in a low prevalence HIV infection area. The best accuracy and reliability were obtained when combining HIV RE&IC items.

  6. Development and Validation of an HIV Risk Exposure and Indicator Conditions Questionnaire to Support Targeted HIV Screening

    PubMed Central

    Elías, María Jesús Pérez; Gómez-Ayerbe, Cristina; Elías, Pilar Pérez; Muriel, Alfonso; de Santiago, Alberto Diaz; Martinez-Colubi, María; Moreno, Ana; Santos, Cristina; Polo, Lidia; Barea, Rafa; Robledillo, Gema; Uranga, Almudena; Espín, Agustina Cano; Quereda, Carmen; Dronda, Fernando; Casado, Jose Luis; Moreno, Santiago

    2016-01-01

    Abstract The aim of our study was to develop a Spanish-structured HIV risk of exposure and indicator conditions (RE&IC) questionnaire. People attending to an emergency room or to a primary clinical care center were offered to participate in a prospective, 1 arm, open label study, in which all enrolled patients filled out our developed questionnaire and were HIV tested. Questionnaire accuracy, feasibility, and reliability were evaluated. Valid paired 5329 HIV RE&IC questionnaire and rapid HIV tests were performed, 69.3% in the primary clinical care center, 49.6% women, median age 37 years old, 74.9% Spaniards, 20.1% Latin-Americans. Confirmed hidden HIV infection was detected in 4.1%, while HIV RE&IC questionnaire was positive in 51.2%. HIV RE&IC questionnaire sensitivity was 100% to predict HIV infection, with a 100% negative predictive value. When considered separately, RE or IC items sensitivity decreases to 86.4% or 91%, and similarly their negative predictive value to 99.9% for both of them. The majority of people studied, 90.8% self-completed HIV RE&IC questionnaire. Median time to complete was 3 minutes. Overall HIV RE&IC questionnaire test-retest Kappa agreement was 0.82 (almost perfect), likewise for IC items 0.89, while for RE items was lower 0.78 (substantial). A feasible and reliable Spanish HIV RE&IC self questionnaire accurately discriminated all non–HIV-infected people without missing any HIV diagnoses, in a low prevalence HIV infection area. The best accuracy and reliability were obtained when combining HIV RE&IC items. PMID:26844471

  7. Fulfillment of the premenstrual dysphoric disorder criteria confirmed using a self-rating questionnaire among Japanese women with depressive disorders.

    PubMed

    Miyaoka, Yoshiko; Akimoto, Yoshie; Ueda, Kayoko; Ujiie, Yuri; Kametani, Machiko; Uchiide, Yoko; Kamo, Toshiko

    2011-05-02

    Some women with depressive disorders experience severe premenstrual symptoms. However, there have been few studies in which premenstrual symptoms in women suffering from depressive disorders were assessed. In this study, we aimed to investigate premenstrual symptoms in women with depressive disorders using the premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) scale. We administered questionnaires to 65 Japanese female outpatients who had been diagnosed with a major depressive disorder or dysthymic disorder and to 303 healthy women as control subjects. The questionnaire consisted of items on demographics and the PMDD scale, which was modified from the premenstrual symptoms screening tool (PSST) developed by Steiner et al. (Arch Womens Ment Health 2003, 6:203-209). Twenty-eight women (43.1%) with depressive disorder fulfilled certain items of the PMDD scale. These women are considered to have coexisting PMDD and a depressive disorder, or to have premenstrual exacerbation (PME) of a depressive disorder. On the other hand, 18 women (5.9%) in the control group were diagnosed as having PMDD. The depressive disorder group who fulfilled the PMDD criteria had more knowledge of the term premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and took more actions to attenuate premenstrual symptoms than the control group with PMDD. Our findings demonstrated that the occurrence of severe premenstrual symptoms is much higher in women with depressive disorders than in healthy subjects. This is partially due to this group containing women with PME, but mainly due to it containing women with PMDD. The higher percentage of PMDD suggests similarity between PMDD and other depressive disorders. Furthermore, educating healthy Japanese women and women with depressive disorders about premenstrual symptoms and evidence-based treatment for them is necessary.

  8. Fulfillment of the premenstrual dysphoric disorder criteria confirmed using a self-rating questionnaire among Japanese women with depressive disorders

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Some women with depressive disorders experience severe premenstrual symptoms. However, there have been few studies in which premenstrual symptoms in women suffering from depressive disorders were assessed. In this study, we aimed to investigate premenstrual symptoms in women with depressive disorders using the premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) scale. Methods We administered questionnaires to 65 Japanese female outpatients who had been diagnosed with a major depressive disorder or dysthymic disorder and to 303 healthy women as control subjects. The questionnaire consisted of items on demographics and the PMDD scale, which was modified from the premenstrual symptoms screening tool (PSST) developed by Steiner et al. (Arch Womens Ment Health 2003, 6:203-209). Results Twenty-eight women (43.1%) with depressive disorder fulfilled certain items of the PMDD scale. These women are considered to have coexisting PMDD and a depressive disorder, or to have premenstrual exacerbation (PME) of a depressive disorder. On the other hand, 18 women (5.9%) in the control group were diagnosed as having PMDD. The depressive disorder group who fulfilled the PMDD criteria had more knowledge of the term premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and took more actions to attenuate premenstrual symptoms than the control group with PMDD. Conclusions Our findings demonstrated that the occurrence of severe premenstrual symptoms is much higher in women with depressive disorders than in healthy subjects. This is partially due to this group containing women with PME, but mainly due to it containing women with PMDD. The higher percentage of PMDD suggests similarity between PMDD and other depressive disorders. Furthermore, educating healthy Japanese women and women with depressive disorders about premenstrual symptoms and evidence-based treatment for them is necessary. PMID:21535889

  9. Development, sensibility, and reliability of the Toronto Axial Spondyloarthritis Questionnaire in inflammatory bowel disease.

    PubMed

    Alnaqbi, Khalid A; Touma, Zahi; Passalent, Laura; Johnson, Sindhu R; Tomlinson, George A; Carty, Adele; Inman, Robert D

    2013-10-01

    There is an unacceptable delay in the diagnosis of axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) in its early stages among patients at high risk, in particular those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Our objectives were to develop a sensible and reliable questionnaire to identify undetected axSpA among patients with IBD. Literature was reviewed for item generation in the Toronto axSpA Questionnaire on IBD (TASQ-IBD). Sensibility of the questionnaire was assessed among healthcare professionals and patients. This assessment was related to purpose and framework (clinical function, clinical justification, and clinical applicability), face validity, comprehensiveness [oligo-variability (limiting the questionnaire to important items) and transparency], replicability, content validity, and feasibility. The test-retest reliability study was administered to 77 patients with established IBD and axSpA. Kappa agreement coefficients and absolute agreement were calculated for items. Three domains included IBD, inflammatory back symptoms, and extraaxial features. The entry criterion required a patient to have IBD and back pain or stiffness that ever persisted for ≥ 3 months. Iterative sensibility assessment involved 16 items and a diagram of the back. Kappa coefficients ranged from 0.81-1.00 for each item. Absolute agreement across all items ranged from 91% to 100%. TASQ-IBD is a newly developed, sensible, and reliable case-finding questionnaire to be administered to patients with IBD who have ever had chronic back pain or stiffness persisting for ≥ 3 months. It should facilitate identification and timely referral of patients with IBD to rheumatologists and minimize the delay in diagnosis of axSpA. Consequently, it should assess the prevalence of axSpA in IBD.

  10. The EORTC module for quality of life in patients with thyroid cancer: phase III.

    PubMed

    Singer, Susanne; Jordan, Susan; Locati, Laura D; Pinto, Monica; Tomaszewska, Iwona M; Araújo, Cláudia; Hammerlid, Eva; Vidhubala, E; Husson, Olga; Kiyota, Naomi; Brannan, Christine; Salem, Dina; Gamper, Eva M; Arraras, Juan Ignacio; Ioannidis, Georgios; Andry, Guy; Inhestern, Johanna; Grégoire, Vincent; Licitra, Lisa

    2017-04-01

    The purpose of the study was to pilot-test a questionnaire measuring health-related quality of life (QoL) in thyroid cancer patients to be used with the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) core questionnaire EORTC QLQ-C30. A provisional questionnaire with 47 items was administered to patients treated for thyroid cancer within the last 2 years. Patients were interviewed about time and help needed to complete the questionnaire, and whether they found the items understandable, confusing or annoying. Items were kept in the questionnaire if they fulfilled pre-defined criteria: relevant to the patients, easy to understand, not confusing, few missing values, neither floor nor ceiling effects, and high variance. A total of 182 thyroid cancer patients in 15 countries participated ( n  = 115 with papillary, n  = 31 with follicular, n  = 22 with medullary, n  = 6 with anaplastic, and n  = 8 with other types of thyroid cancer). Sixty-six percent of the patients needed 15 min or less to complete the questionnaire. Of the 47 items, 31 fulfilled the predefined criteria and were kept unchanged, 14 were removed, and 2 were changed. Shoulder dysfunction was mentioned by 5 patients as missing and an item covering this issue was added. To conclude, the EORTC quality of life module for thyroid cancer (EORTC QLQ-THY34) is ready for the final validation phase IV. © 2017 Society for Endocrinology.

  11. An acute cough-specific quality-of-life questionnaire for children: Development and validation.

    PubMed

    Anderson-James, Sophie; Newcombe, Peter A; Marchant, Julie M; O'Grady, Kerry-Ann F; Acworth, Jason P; Stone, D Grant; Turner, Catherine T; Chang, Anne B

    2015-05-01

    Patient-relevant outcome measures are essential for high-quality clinical research, and quality-of-life (QoL) tools are the current standard. Currently, there is no validated children's acute cough-specific QoL questionnaire. The objective of this study was to develop and validate the Parent-proxy Children's Acute Cough-specific QoL Questionnaire (PAC-QoL). Using focus groups, a 48-item PAC-QoL questionnaire was developed and later reduced to 16 items by using the clinical impact method. Parents of children with a current acute cough (<2 weeks) at enrollment completed 2 validated cough score measures, the preliminary 48-item PAC-QoL, and 3 other questionnaires (the State Trait Anxiety Inventory [STAI], the Short-Form 8-item 24-hour recall Health Survey [SF-8], and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress 21-item Scale [DASS21]). All measures were repeated on days 3 and 14. The median age of the 155 children enrolled was 2.3 years (interquartile range, 1.3-4.6). Median cough duration at enrollment was 3 days (interquartile range, 2-5). The reduced 16-item scale had high internal consistency (Cronbach α = 0.95). Evidence for repeatability and criterion validity was shown by significant correlations between the domains and total PAC-QoL scores and the SF-8 (r = -0.36 and -0.51), STAI (r = -0.27 and -0.39), and DASS21 (r = -0.32 and -0.41) scales on days 0 and 3, respectively. The final PAC-QoL questionnaire was sensitive to change over time, with changes significantly relating to changes in cough score measures (P < .001). The 16-item PAC-QoL is a reliable and valid outcome measure that assesses QoL related to childhood acute cough at a given time point and reflects changes in acute cough-specific QoL over time. Copyright © 2014 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. Test-retest reliability and construct validity of the ENERGY-child questionnaire on energy balance-related behaviours and their potential determinants: the ENERGY-project.

    PubMed

    Singh, Amika S; Vik, Froydis N; Chinapaw, Mai J M; Uijtdewilligen, Léonie; Verloigne, Maïté; Fernández-Alvira, Juan M; Stomfai, Sarolta; Manios, Yannis; Martens, Marloes; Brug, Johannes

    2011-12-09

    Insight in children's energy balance-related behaviours (EBRBs) and their determinants is important to inform obesity prevention research. Therefore, reliable and valid tools to measure these variables in large-scale population research are needed. To examine the test-retest reliability and construct validity of the child questionnaire used in the ENERGY-project, measuring EBRBs and their potential determinants among 10-12 year old children. We collected data among 10-12 year old children (n = 730 in the test-retest reliability study; n = 96 in the construct validity study) in six European countries, i.e. Belgium, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain. Test-retest reliability was assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and percentage agreement comparing scores from two measurements, administered one week apart. To assess construct validity, the agreement between questionnaire responses and a subsequent face-to-face interview was assessed using ICC and percentage agreement. Of the 150 questionnaire items, 115 (77%) showed good to excellent test-retest reliability as indicated by ICCs > .60 or percentage agreement ≥ 75%. Test-retest reliability was moderate for 34 items (23%) and poor for one item. Construct validity appeared to be good to excellent for 70 (47%) of the 150 items, as indicated by ICCs > .60 or percentage agreement ≥ 75%. From the other 80 items, construct validity was moderate for 39 (26%) and poor for 41 items (27%). Our results demonstrate that the ENERGY-child questionnaire, assessing EBRBs of the child as well as personal, family, and school-environmental determinants related to these EBRBs, has good test-retest reliability and moderate to good construct validity for the large majority of items.

  13. Test-retest reliability and construct validity of the ENERGY-child questionnaire on energy balance-related behaviours and their potential determinants: the ENERGY-project

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Insight in children's energy balance-related behaviours (EBRBs) and their determinants is important to inform obesity prevention research. Therefore, reliable and valid tools to measure these variables in large-scale population research are needed. Objective To examine the test-retest reliability and construct validity of the child questionnaire used in the ENERGY-project, measuring EBRBs and their potential determinants among 10-12 year old children. Methods We collected data among 10-12 year old children (n = 730 in the test-retest reliability study; n = 96 in the construct validity study) in six European countries, i.e. Belgium, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain. Test-retest reliability was assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and percentage agreement comparing scores from two measurements, administered one week apart. To assess construct validity, the agreement between questionnaire responses and a subsequent face-to-face interview was assessed using ICC and percentage agreement. Results Of the 150 questionnaire items, 115 (77%) showed good to excellent test-retest reliability as indicated by ICCs > .60 or percentage agreement ≥ 75%. Test-retest reliability was moderate for 34 items (23%) and poor for one item. Construct validity appeared to be good to excellent for 70 (47%) of the 150 items, as indicated by ICCs > .60 or percentage agreement ≥ 75%. From the other 80 items, construct validity was moderate for 39 (26%) and poor for 41 items (27%). Conclusions Our results demonstrate that the ENERGY-child questionnaire, assessing EBRBs of the child as well as personal, family, and school-environmental determinants related to these EBRBs, has good test-retest reliability and moderate to good construct validity for the large majority of items. PMID:22152048

  14. [A new instrument to measure quality of life in older people: The French version of the WHOQOL-OLD].

    PubMed

    Leplège, A; Perret-Guillaume, C; Ecosse, E; Hervy, M-P; Ankri, J; von Steinbüchel, N

    2013-02-01

    We present the validation data of the French version of a new quality of life questionnaire, specifically developed for use with older adults (>60 years old): the WHOQOL-OLD module. This questionnaire, which contains 24 items in six domains, is a complementary module of the WHOQOL-BREF quality of life questionnaire. It was internationally developed by a World Health Organization (WHO) group. The first development and pilot studies led to a first questionnaire applied in field studies in 20 centers all over the world. They were done in 5566 subjects and allowed the validation of the final form of the WHOQOL-OLD questionnaire. For its French version, 281 subjects, with a mean age of 74 years, were recruited in three centers (Paris, Nancy and Geneva). The results of the psychometric properties of the questionnaire, particularly the multitrait analysis, are compatible with the assumptions underlying the construction of scores. Otherwise, scores present a sufficient accuracy to use this instrument in group comparisons. The WHOQOL-OLD questionnaire can be used in older people in health services, clinical research and epidemiologic studies. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier SAS.

  15. Development and validation of a novel patient-reported treatment satisfaction measure for hyperfunctional facial lines: facial line satisfaction questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Pompilus, Farrah; Burgess, Somali; Hudgens, Stacie; Banderas, Benjamin; Daniels, Selena

    2015-12-01

    Facial lines or wrinkles are among the most visible signs of aging, and minimally invasive cosmetic procedures are becoming increasingly popular. The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Facial Line Satisfaction Questionnaire (FLSQ) for use in adults with upper facial lines (UFL). A literature review, concept elicitation interviews (n = 33), and cognitive debriefing interviews (n = 23) of adults with UFL were conducted to develop the FLSQ. The FLSQ comprises Baseline and Follow-up versions and was field-tested with 150 subjects in a US observational study designed to assess its psychometric performance. Analyses included acceptability (item and scale distribution [i.e. missingness, floor, and ceiling effects]), reliability, and validity (including concurrent validity). In total, 69 concepts were elicited during patient interviews. Following cognitive debriefing interviews, the FLSQ-Baseline version included 11 items and the Follow-up version included 13 items. Response rates for the FLSQ were 100% and 73% at baseline and follow-up, respectively; no items had excessive missing data. Questionnaire scale scores were normally distributed. Most domain scores demonstrated good internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α ≥ 0.70). Most items within their respective domains exhibited good convergent (item-scale correlations > 0.40) and discriminant (items had higher correlation with their hypothesized scales than other scales) validity. Concurrent validity correlation coefficients of the FLSQ domain scores with the associated concurrent measures were acceptable (range: r = 0.40-0.70). Six FLSQ items demonstrated reliability and validity as stand-alone items outside their domains. The FLSQ is a valid questionnaire for assessing treatment expectations, satisfaction, impact, and preference in adults with UFL. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. Patient-reported quality indicators for osteoarthritis: a patient and public generated self-report measure for primary care.

    PubMed

    Blackburn, Steven; Higginbottom, Adele; Taylor, Robert; Bird, Jo; Østerås, Nina; Hagen, Kåre Birger; Edwards, John J; Jordan, Kelvin P; Jinks, Clare; Dziedzic, Krysia

    2016-01-01

    People with osteoarthritis desire high quality care, support and information. However, the quality of care for people with OA in general practice is not routinely collected. Quality Indicators can be used to benefit patients by measuring whether minimum standards of quality care are being met from a patient perspective. The aim of this study was to describe how a Research User Group (RUG) worked alongside researchers to co-produce a set of self-reported quality indicators for people with osteoarthritis when visiting their general practitioner or practice nurse (primary care). These were required in the MOSAICS study, which developed and evaluated a new model of supported self-management of OA to implement the NICE quality standards for OA. This article describes the public involvement in the MOSAICS study. This was 1) the co-development by RUG members and researchers of an Osteoarthritis Quality Indicators United Kingdom (OA QI (UK)) questionnaire for use in primary care, and 2) the comparison of the OA QI (UK) with a similar questionnaire developed in Norway. This study shows how important and effective a research user group can be in working with researchers in developing quality care indicators for osteoarthritis for use in a research study and, potentially, routine use in primary care. The questionnaire is intended to benefit patients by enabling the assessment of the quality of primary care for osteoarthritis from a patient's perspective. The OA QI (UK) has been used to examine differences in the quality of osteoarthritis care in four European countries. Background People with osteoarthritis (OA) desire high quality care, support and information about OA. However, the quality of care for people with OA in general practice is not routinely collected. Quality Indicators (QI) can be used to benefit patients by measuring whether minimum standards of quality care (e.g. NICE quality standards) are being met from a patient perspective. A Research User Group (RUG) worked with researchers to co-produce a set of self-report, patient-generated QIs for OA. The QIs were intended for use in the MOSAICS study, which developed and evaluated a new model of supported self-management of OA to implement the NICE guidelines. We report on 1) the co-development of the OA QI (UK) questionnaire for primary care; and 2) the comparison of the content of the OA QI (UK) questionnaire with a parallel questionnaire developed in Norway for the Musculoskeletal Pain in Ullensaker (MUST) study. Methods Researchers were invited to OA RUG meetings. Firstly, RUG members were asked to consider factors important to patients consulting their general practitioner (GP) for OA and then each person rated their five most important. RUG members then discussed these in relation to a systematic review of OA QIs in order to form a list of OA QIs from a patient perspective. RUG members suggested wording and response options for a draft OA QI (UK) questionnaire to assess the QIs. Finally RUG members commented on draft and final versions of the questionnaire and how it compared with a translated Norwegian OA-QI questionnaire. Results RUG members (5 males, 5 females; aged 52-80 years) attended up to four meetings. RUG members ranked 20 factors considered most important to patients consulting their GP for joint pain. Following discussion, a list of eleven patient-reported QIs for OA consultations were formed. RUG members then suggested the wording and response options of 16 draft items - four QIs were split into two or more questionnaire items to avoid multiple dimensions of care quality within a single item. On comparison of this to the Norwegian OA-QI questionnaire, RUG members commented that both questionnaires contained seven similar QIs. The RUG members and researchers agreed to adopt the Norwegian OA-QI wording for four of these items. RUG members also recommended adopting an additional seven items from the Norwegian OA-QI with some minor word changes to improve their suitability for patients in the UK. One other item from the draft OA QI (UK) questionnaire was retained and eight items were excluded, resulting in a 15-item final version. Conclusions This study describes the development of patient-reported quality indicators for OA primary care derived by members of a RUG group, working in partnership with the research team throughout the study. The OA QI (UK) supports the NICE quality standards for OA and they have been successfully used to assess the quality of OA consultations in primary care in the MOSAICS study. The OA QI (UK) has the potential for routine use in primary care to assess the quality of OA care provided to patients. Ongoing research using both the UK and Norwegian OA-QI questionnaires is assessing the self-reported quality of OA care in different European populations.

  17. Validity test of the IPD-Work consortium approach for creating comparable job strain groups between Job Content Questionnaire and Demand-Control Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Choi, Bongkyoo; Ko, Sangbaek; Ostergren, Per-Olof

    2015-01-01

    This study aims to test the validity of the IPD-Work Consortium approach for creating comparable job strain groups between the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) and the Demand-Control Questionnaire (DCQ). A random population sample (N = 682) of all middle-aged Malmö males and females was given a questionnaire with the 14-item JCQ and 11-item DCQ for the job control and job demands. The JCQ job control and job demands scores were calculated in 3 different ways: using the 14-item JCQ standard scale formulas (method 1); dropping 3 job control items and using the 11-item JCQ standard scale formulas with additional scale weights (method 2); and the approach of the IPD Group (method 3), dropping 3 job control items, but using the simple 11-item summation-based scale formulas. The high job strain was defined as a combination of high demands and low control. Between the 2 questionnaires, false negatives for the high job strain were much greater than false positives (37-49% vs. 7-13%). When the method 3 was applied, the sensitivity of the JCQ for the high job strain against the DCQ was lowest (0.51 vs. 0.60-0.63 when the methods 1 and 2 were applied), although the specificity was highest (0.93 vs. 0.87-0.89 when the methods 1 and 2 were applied). The prevalence of the high job strain with the JCQ (the method 3 was applied) was considerably lower (4-7%) than with the JCQ (the methods 1 and 2 were applied) and the DCQ. The number of congruent cases for the high job strain between the 2 questionnaires was smallest when the method 3 was applied. The IPD-Work Consortium approach showed 2 major weaknesses to be used for epidemiological studies on the high job strain and health outcomes as compared to the standard JCQ methods: the greater misclassification of the high job strain and lower prevalence of the high job strain. This work is available in Open Access model and licensed under a CC BY-NC 3.0 PL license.

  18. A disease-specific quality of life instrument for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis: CLDQ-NAFLD.

    PubMed

    Younossi, Zobair M; Stepanova, Maria; Henry, Linda; Racila, Andrei; Lam, Brian; Pham, Huong T; Hunt, Sharon

    2017-08-01

    Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis are the most common causes of chronic liver disease with known negative impact on patients' health-related quality of life. Our aim was to validate a disease-specific health-related quality of life instrument useful for efficacy trials involving patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis. From a long item selection questionnaire, we selected relevant items which, by factor analysis, were grouped into domains constituting Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire-Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease version. The developed instrument was subjected to internal validity, test-retest reliability and construct validity assessment using standard methods. For development of the Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire-Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease version instrument, a 75-item-long item selection questionnaire was administered to 25 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. After item reduction, factor analysis found that 98.7% of variance in the remaining items would be explained by six factors. Thus, the resulting Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire-Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease version instrument had 36 items grouped into six domains: Abdominal Symptoms, Activity, Emotional, Fatigue, Systemic Symptoms, and Worry. The independent validation group included another 104 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. The Cronbach's alphas of 0.74-0.90 suggested good to excellent internal consistency of the domains. Furthermore, the presence of obesity and history of depression were discriminated best by Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire-Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease version scores (P<.05). The domains' correlations with the most relevant domains of Short Form-36 exceeded 0.70. Test-retest reliability in a subgroup of patients (N=27) demonstrated no significant within-patient variability with multiple administrations (all median differences were zero, all P>.15, intraclass correlations .76-.88). The Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire-Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease version is a disease-specific health-related quality of life instrument developed and validated using an established methodology and useful for clinical trials of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Application of Fuzzy Delphi in the Selection of COPD Risk Factors among Steel Industry Workers

    PubMed Central

    Ismail, Halim; Ismail, Rosnah; Ismail, Noor Hassim

    2017-01-01

    Background: The Delphi method has been widely applied in many study areas to systematically gather experts’ input on particular topic. Recently, it has become increasingly well known in health related research. This paper applied the Fuzzy Delphi method to enhance the validation of a questionnaire pertaining chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) risk factors among metal industry workers. Materials and Methods: A detailed, predefined list of possible risk factors for COPD among metal industry workers was created through a comprehensive and exhaustive review of literature from 1995 to 2015. The COPD questionnaire were distributed among people identified as occupational, environmental, and hygiene experts. Linguistic variable using Likert scale was used by the expert to indicate their expert judgment of each item. Subsequently, the linguistic variable was converted into a triangular fuzzy number. The average score of the fuzzy number will be used to determine whether the item will be removed or retained. Results: Ten experts were involved in evaluating 26 items. The experts were in agreement with most of the items, with an average fuzzy number range between 0.429 and 0.800. Two items were removed and three items were added, leaving a total 26 items selected for the COPD risk factors questionnaire. The experts were in disagreement with each other for items F10 and F11 where most of the experts claimed that the question is too subjective and based on self-perception only. Conclusion: The fuzzy Delphi method enhanced the accuracy of the questionnaire pertaining to COPD risk factors, and decreased the length of the established tools. PMID:28638424

  20. Application of Fuzzy Delphi in the Selection of COPD Risk Factors among Steel Industry Workers.

    PubMed

    Dapari, Rahmat; Ismail, Halim; Ismail, Rosnah; Ismail, Noor Hassim

    2017-01-01

    The Delphi method has been widely applied in many study areas to systematically gather experts' input on particular topic. Recently, it has become increasingly well known in health related research. This paper applied the Fuzzy Delphi method to enhance the validation of a questionnaire pertaining chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) risk factors among metal industry workers. A detailed, predefined list of possible risk factors for COPD among metal industry workers was created through a comprehensive and exhaustive review of literature from 1995 to 2015. The COPD questionnaire were distributed among people identified as occupational, environmental, and hygiene experts. Linguistic variable using Likert scale was used by the expert to indicate their expert judgment of each item. Subsequently, the linguistic variable was converted into a triangular fuzzy number. The average score of the fuzzy number will be used to determine whether the item will be removed or retained. Ten experts were involved in evaluating 26 items. The experts were in agreement with most of the items, with an average fuzzy number range between 0.429 and 0.800. Two items were removed and three items were added, leaving a total 26 items selected for the COPD risk factors questionnaire. The experts were in disagreement with each other for items F10 and F11 where most of the experts claimed that the question is too subjective and based on self-perception only. The fuzzy Delphi method enhanced the accuracy of the questionnaire pertaining to COPD risk factors, and decreased the length of the established tools.

  1. Phase III development of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire module for women undergoing breast reconstruction.

    PubMed

    Winters, Z E; Balta, V; Thomson, H J; Brandberg, Y; Oberguggenberger, A; Sinove, Y; Unukovych, D; Nava, M; Sandelin, K; Johansson, H; Dobbeleir, J; Blondeel, P; Bruno, N; Catanuto, G; Llewellyn-Bennett, R

    2014-03-01

    Comprehensive outcome assessments after breast reconstruction (BRR) require surgery-specific patient-reported outcome measures. The aims of this study were to assess the relevance, acceptability and redundancy of questions/items (phase III pretesting) of a new BRR questionnaire evaluating patients' health-related quality of life before and after BRR. Phase III occurred in collaboration with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) following earlier development phases that identified 31 items. The EORTC BRR subgroup applied decision-making rules to each question according to eight EORTC criteria. A total of 197 patients (from the UK, Austria, Belgium, Italy and Sweden) were recruited. Forty-seven patients completed pre- and post-BRR questionnaires prospectively, and 150 reported post-BRR questionnaires only retrospectively. Qualitative debriefing interviews were undertaken in 189 patients. Preliminary psychometric analyses were performed. Thirty-one items fulfilled 'relevance', with none producing 'difficulties'. Ten items were not a priority for 10 per cent of respondents. Of these, two questions concerning muscle twitching in the affected breast and problem with donor-site swelling were deleted. Three redundant items were deleted: weakness in arm, which correlated significantly to the Quality of Life Questionnaire (QLQ) BR23 breast questionnaire, and shape and colour of the affected nipple. Descriptive statistics reduced the module to 26 items conceptualized into three provisional scales (disease treatment/surgery-related symptoms, sexuality and cosmetic outcome) within the newly completed questionnaire, EORTC QLQ-BRR26. The QLQ-BRR26 is available for psychometric validation in a large-field international sample. The intended use for QLQ-BRR26 is alongside EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-BR23, in women treated by mastectomy for breast cancer and undergoing all types of BRR. © 2014 BJS Society Ltd. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. ABILOCO-Kids: a Rasch-built 10-item questionnaire for assessing locomotion ability in children with cerebral palsy.

    PubMed

    Caty, Gilles D; Gilles, Caty D; Arnould, Carlyne; Thonnard, Jean-Louis; Lejeune, Thierry M

    2008-11-01

    To develop a questionnaire (ABILOCO-Kids) based on the Rasch measurement model that assesses locomotion ability in children with cerebral palsy. Prospective study and questionnaire development. A total of 113 children with cerebral palsy (10 (standard deviation 2.5) years old). A 41-item questionnaire was developed based on existing scales and on the clinical experience of professionals in the field of rehabilitation. This questionnaire was tested separately on the 113 children with cerebral palsy and their parents. Their responses were analysed using the Rasch model (RUMM-2020) to select items that had an ordered rating scale and that fit a unidimensional model. The final ABILOCO-Kids scale consisted of 10 locomotion activities, of which difficulty was rated by the parents. The parents gave a more precise assessment of their children's ability than the children themselves, leading to a wider range of measurement that was well-targeted on the sample population and that had good reliability (r=0.97) and reproducibility (intraclass correlation coefficient=0.96). Item calibration did not vary with age, sex or clinical presentation (hemiplegia, diplegia, quadriplegia). The concurrent validity of the ABILOCO-Kids questionnaire was also shown by its correlation with the Gross Motor Function Classification System. The ABILOCO-Kids questionnaire has good psychometric qualities for measuring a wide range of locomotion abilities in children with cerebral palsy.

  3. The cross-cultural adaptation of the DASH questionnaire in Thai (DASH-TH).

    PubMed

    Tongprasert, Siam; Rapipong, Jeeranan; Buntragulpoontawee, Montana

    2014-01-01

    Clinical measurement. Currently there are no self-report questionnaires in Thai to evaluate disability levels in patients suffering from upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders. To translate and cross-cultural adaptation the disabilities of the arm, shoulder and hand (DASH) questionnaire to Thai version and to evaluate content validity, construct validity and internal consistency of the questionnaire. The DASH-TH was produced by following cross-cultural adaptation guidelines stated by the Institute for Work and Health (IWH). Forty Thai patients with arm, shoulder or hand problems participated in field testing of the questionnaire. Content validity was determined by obtaining the item-objective congruence (IOC) value for each questionnaire item. Correlation between the DASH-TH score and numeric rating scale was used to assess construct validity. Internal consistency of DASH-TH was measured using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Forty patients (14 males, 26 females) with arm, shoulder or hand problems enrolled in the present study. The average age of patients was 44.8 years. The index of item-objective congruence (IOC) of each item ranged from 0.7 to 1.0. The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the questionnaire was 0.938. There was no correlation between DASH-TH score and numeric rating scale. The DASH-TH has high content validity and internal consistency. N/A. Copyright © 2014 Hanley & Belfus. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. The development and validation of the advance care planning questionnaire in Malaysia.

    PubMed

    Lai, Pauline Siew Mei; Mohd Mudri, Salinah; Chinna, Karuthan; Othman, Sajaratulnisah

    2016-10-18

    Advance care planning is a voluntary process whereby individual preferences, values and beliefs are used to aid a person in planning for end-of-life care. Currently, there is no local instrument to assess an individual's awareness and attitude towards advance care planning. This study aimed to develop an Advance Care Planning Questionnaire and to determine its validity and reliability among older people in Malaysia. The Advance Care Planning Questionnaire was developed based on literature review. Face and content validity was verified by an expert panel, and piloted among 15 participants. Our study was conducted from October 2013 to February 2014, at an urban primary care clinic in Malaysia. Included were those aged >50 years, who could understand English. A retest was conducted 2 weeks after the first administration. Participants from the pilot study did not encounter any problems in answering the Advance Care Planning Questionnaire. Hence, no further modifications were made. Flesch reading ease was 71. The final version of the Advance Care Planning Questionnaire consists of 66 items: 30 items were measured on a nominal scale, whilst 36 items were measured on a Likert-like scale; of which we were only able to validate 22 items, as the remaining 14 items were descriptive in nature. A total of 245 eligible participants were approached; of which 230 agreed to participate (response rate = 93.9 %). Factor analysis on the 22 items measured on a Likert-scale revealed four domains: "feelings regarding advance care planning", "justifications for advance care planning", "justifications for not having advance care planning: fate and religion", and "justifications for not having advance care planning: avoid thinking about death". The Cronbach's alpha values for items each domain ranged from 0.637-0.915. In test-retest, kappa values ranged from 0.738-0.947. The final Advance Care Planning Questionnaire consisted of 63 items and 4 domains. It was found to be a valid and reliable instrument to assess the awareness and attitude of older people in Malaysia towards advance care planning.

  5. Development and validation of the impact of dry eye on everyday life (IDEEL) questionnaire, a patient-reported outcomes (PRO) measure for the assessment of the burden of dry eye on patients.

    PubMed

    Abetz, Linda; Rajagopalan, Krithika; Mertzanis, Polyxane; Begley, Carolyn; Barnes, Rod; Chalmers, Robin

    2011-12-08

    To develop and validate a comprehensive patient-reported outcomes instrument focusing on the impact of dry eye on everyday life (IDEEL). Development and validation of the IDEEL occurred in four phases: 1) focus groups with 45 dry eye patients to develop a draft instrument, 2) item generation, 3) pilot study to assess content validity in 16 patients and 4) psychometric validation in 210 subjects: 130 with non-Sjögren's keratoconjunctivitis sicca, 32 with Sjögren's syndrome and 48 controls, and subsequent item reduction. Focus groups identified symptoms and the associated bother, the impact of dry eye on daily life and the patients' satisfaction with their treatment as the central concepts in patients' experience of dry eye. Qualitative analysis indicated that saturation was achieved for these concepts and yielded an initial 112-item draft instrument. Patients understood the questionnaire and found the items to be relevant indicating content validity. Patient input, item descriptive statistics and factor analysis identified 55 items that could be deleted. The final 57-item IDEEL assesses dry eye impact constituting 3 modules: dry eye symptom-bother, dry eye impact on daily life comprising impact on daily activities, emotional impact, impact on work, and dry eye treatment satisfaction comprising satisfaction with treatment effectiveness and treatment-related bother/inconvenience. The psychometric analysis results indicated that the IDEEL met the criteria for item discriminant validity, internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability and floor/ceiling effects. As expected, the correlations between IDEEL and the Dry Eye Questionnaire (a habitual symptom questionnaire) were higher than between IDEEL and Short-Form-36 and EuroQoL-5D, indicating concurrent validity. The IDEEL is a reliable, valid and comprehensive questionnaire relevant to issues that are specific to dry eye patients, and meets current FDA patient-reported outcomes guidelines. The use of this questionnaire will provide assessment of the impact of dry eye on patient dry eye-related quality of life, impact of treatment on patient outcomes in clinical trials, and may aid in treatment effectiveness evaluation.

  6. Item selection via Bayesian IRT models.

    PubMed

    Arima, Serena

    2015-02-10

    With reference to a questionnaire that aimed to assess the quality of life for dysarthric speakers, we investigate the usefulness of a model-based procedure for reducing the number of items. We propose a mixed cumulative logit model, which is known in the psychometrics literature as the graded response model: responses to different items are modelled as a function of individual latent traits and as a function of item characteristics, such as their difficulty and their discrimination power. We jointly model the discrimination and the difficulty parameters by using a k-component mixture of normal distributions. Mixture components correspond to disjoint groups of items. Items that belong to the same groups can be considered equivalent in terms of both difficulty and discrimination power. According to decision criteria, we select a subset of items such that the reduced questionnaire is able to provide the same information that the complete questionnaire provides. The model is estimated by using a Bayesian approach, and the choice of the number of mixture components is justified according to information criteria. We illustrate the proposed approach on the basis of data that are collected for 104 dysarthric patients by local health authorities in Lecce and in Milan. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  7. Development and validation of a questionnaire to evaluate patient satisfaction with diabetes disease management.

    PubMed

    Paddock, L E; Veloski, J; Chatterton, M L; Gevirtz, F O; Nash, D B

    2000-07-01

    To develop a reliable and valid questionnaire to measure patient satisfaction with diabetes disease management programs. Questions related to structure, process, and outcomes were categorized into 14 domains defining the essential elements of diabetes disease management. Health professionals confirmed the content validity. Face validity was established by a patient focus group. The questionnaire was mailed to 711 patients with diabetes who participated in a disease management program. To reduce the number of questionnaire items, a principal components analysis was performed using a varimax rotation. The Scree test was used to select significant components. To further assess reliability and validity; Cronbach's alpha and product-moment correlations were calculated for components having > or =3 items with loadings >0.50. The validated 73-item mailed satisfaction survey had a 34.1% response rate. Principal components analysis yielded 13 components with eigenvalues > 1.0. The Scree test proposed a 6-component solution (39 items), which explained 59% of the total variation. Internal consistency reliabilities computed for the first 6 components (alpha = 0.79-0.95) were acceptable. The final questionnaire, the Diabetes Management Evaluation Tool (DMET), was designed to assess patient satisfaction with diabetes disease management programs. Although more extensive testing of the questionnaire is appropriate, preliminary reliability and validity of the DMET has been demonstrated.

  8. Development and initial validation of the Swedish Family Satisfaction Intensive Care Questionnaire (SFS-ICQ).

    PubMed

    Thermaenius, Johan; Schandl, Anna; Sluys, Kerstin Prignitz

    2018-06-20

    Measuring patients satisfaction is an important part of continuous quality improvement in health care. In intensive care, family satisfaction is often used as a proxy for patient experience. At present, no suitable instrument to measure this has been fully validated in Sweden. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a questionnaire intended to evaluate families' satisfaction of quality of care in Swedish intensive care units. Based on literature and the modification of pertinent items in two existing North American questionnaires, a Swedish questionnaire was developed. Content validity was assessed by experts, and the cognitive method Think Aloud was used with twelve family members of intensive care patients in two different intensive care units. Data was analysed using qualitative content analysis. Seven items in the questionnaire were identified as problematic, causing eight problems concerning questioning of content and 23 concerning misunderstanding. Six of these items were changed in order to be understood the way they were intended, and one item was removed. A family satisfaction questionnaire applicable in Swedish intensive care units has been developed and validated for respondents' understanding of the questions being asked. However, further psychometric testing should be performed when more data are available. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. A brief survey of patients' first impression after CPAP titration predicts future CPAP adherence: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Balachandran, Jay S; Yu, Xiaohong; Wroblewski, Kristen; Mokhlesi, Babak

    2013-03-15

    CPAP adherence patterns are often established very early in the course of therapy. Our objective was to quantify patients' perception of CPAP therapy using a 6-item questionnaire administered in the morning following CPAP titration. We hypothesized that questionnaire responses would independently predict CPAP adherence during the first 30 days of therapy. We retrospectively reviewed the CPAP perception questionnaires of 403 CPAP-naïve adults who underwent in-laboratory titration and who had daily CPAP adherence data available for the first 30 days of therapy. Responses to the CPAP perception questionnaire were analyzed for their association with mean CPAP adherence and with changes in daily CPAP adherence over 30 days. Patients were aged 52 ± 14 years, 53% were women, 54% were African American, the mean body mass index (BMI) was 36.3 ± 9.1 kg/m(2), and most patients had moderate-severe OSA. Four of 6 items from the CPAP perception questionnaire- regarding difficulty tolerating CPAP, discomfort with CPAP pressure, likelihood of wearing CPAP, and perceived health benefit-were significantly correlated with mean 30-day CPAP adherence, and a composite score from these 4 questions was found to be internally consistent. Stepwise linear regression modeling demonstrated that 3 variables were significant and independent predictors of reduced mean CPAP adherence: worse score on the 4-item questionnaire, African American race, and non-sleep specialist ordering polysomnogram and CPAP therapy. Furthermore, a worse score on the 4-item CPAP perception questionnaire was consistently associated with decreased mean daily CPAP adherence over the first 30 days of therapy. In this pilot study, responses to a 4-item CPAP perception questionnaire administered to patients immediately following CPAP titration independently predicted mean CPAP adherence during the first 30 days. Further prospective validation of this questionnaire in different patient populations is warranted.

  10. Study deviance-type scale in the development of Korean elder.

    PubMed

    Cho, Gun-Sang; Yi, Eun-Surk; Hwang, Hee-Jeong

    2015-12-01

    This research aims to develop a questionnaire of deviant behavior for the Korean elderly people which may make a big contribution to the examination of deviance behavior of the elderly people and may play an important role in providing a methodological basis. In order to accomplish the purpose of the this study, there were three different stages; (a) making preliminary question items, (b) refining the items of the scale through a plot study, and (c) finalizing question items by a main survey. In the first stage, 43 question items were developed using the open-ended questionnaire and structural inquiry of succession from 137 elderly people who are over 65 yr. In the second phase, based on data collected by the 200 elderly people pilot testing was performed through exploratory factor analysis and reliability test. The scale is a 27-item self-report questionnaire. In the main survey conducted by 184 elderly people, 21 items, which consisted of four subfactors, were finalized in order to measure deviance behaviors of the Korean elderly people: social deviance (n=8), economic deviance (n=5), psychological deviance (n=5), and physical deviance (n=3).

  11. Development and validation of a ten-item questionnaire with explanatory illustrations to assess upper extremity disorders: favorable effect of illustrations in the item reduction process.

    PubMed

    Kurimoto, Shigeru; Suzuki, Mikako; Yamamoto, Michiro; Okui, Nobuyuki; Imaeda, Toshihiko; Hirata, Hitoshi

    2011-11-01

    The purpose of this study is to develop a short and valid measure for upper extremity disorders and to assess the effect of attached illustrations in item reduction of a self-administered disability questionnaire while retaining psychometric properties. A validated questionnaire used to assess upper extremity disorders, the Hand20, was reduced to ten items using two item-reduction techniques. The psychometric properties of the abbreviated form, the Hand10, were evaluated on an independent sample that was used for the shortening process. Validity, reliability, and responsiveness of the Hand10 were retained in the item reduction process. It was possible that the use of explanatory illustrations attached to the Hand10 helped with its reproducibility. The illustrations for the Hand10 promoted text comprehension and motivation to answer the items. These changes resulted in high acceptability; more than 99.3% of patients, including 98.5% of elderly patients, could complete the Hand10 properly. The illustrations had favorable effects on the item reduction process and made it possible to retain precision of the instrument. The Hand10 is a reliable and valid instrument for individual-level applications with the advantage of being compact and broadly applicable, even in elderly individuals.

  12. Validation of Gujarati Version of ABILOCO-Kids Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Diwan, Shraddha; Diwan, Jasmin; Patel, Pankaj; Bansal, Ankita B

    2015-10-01

    ABILOCO-Kids is a measure of locomotion ability for children with cerebral palsy (CP) aged 6 to 15 years & is available in English & French. To validate the Gujarati version of ABILOCO-Kids questionnaire to be used in clinical research on Gujarati population. ABILOCO-Kids questionnaire was translated into Gujarati from English using forward-backward-forward method. To ensure face & content validity of Gujarati version using group consensus method, each item was examined by group of experts having mean experience of 24.62 years in field of paediatric and paediatric physiotherapy. Each item was analysed for content, meaning, wording, format, ease of administration & scoring. Each item was scored by expert group as either accepted, rejected or accepted with modification. Procedure was continued until 80% of consensus for all items. Concurrent validity was examined on 55 children with Cerebral Palsy (6-15 years) of all Gross Motor Functional Classification System (GMFCS) level & all clinical types by correlating score of ABILOCO-Kids with Gross Motor Functional Measure & GMFCS. In phase 1 of validation, 16 items were accepted as it is; 22 items accepted with modification & 3 items went for phase 2 validation. For concurrent validity, highly significant positive correlation was found between score of ABILOCO-Kids & total GMFM (r=0.713, p<0.005) & highly significant negative correlation with GMFCS (r= -0.778, p<0.005). Gujarati translated version of ABILOCO-Kids questionnaire has good face & content validity as well as concurrent validity which can be used to measure caregiver reported locomotion ability in children with CP.

  13. Development and Preliminary Face and Content Validation of the “Which Health Approaches and Treatments Are You Using?” (WHAT) Questionnaires Assessing Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Pediatric Rheumatology

    PubMed Central

    Toupin April, Karine; Stinson, Jennifer; Boon, Heather; Duffy, Ciarán M.; Huber, Adam M.; Gibbon, Michele; Descarreaux, Martin; Spiegel, Lynn; Vohra, Sunita; Tugwell, Peter

    2016-01-01

    Objective Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is commonly used by children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), yet no validated questionnaires assess that use. The objective of this study was to develop child self- and parent proxy-report questionnaires assessing CAM use and to determine the face and content validity of the “Which Health Approaches and Treatments are you using?” (WHAT) questionnaires in pediatric rheumatology. Methods A sequential phased mixed methods approach was used to develop the questionnaires. A Delphi Survey of 126 experts followed by an interdisciplinary consensus conference of 14 stakeholders in CAM, general pediatrics and pediatric rheumatology was held to develop consensus on the content of the questionnaires using a nominal group technique. To determine face and content validity of the questionnaires, two groups, including (a) a purposive sample of 22 children with JIA 8 to 18 years and their parents from the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario and the Hospital for Sick Children, and (b) 21 Canadian pediatric rheumatology experts, participated in interviews. Participants were independently asked about the goal, understandability and comprehensiveness of the WHAT questionnaires, as well as the relevance of items. Results Consensus was reached on 17 items of the WHAT questionnaires. The domains found to be relevant were child’s CAM use, factors associated with CAM use, perceived impact of CAM use, and communication about CAM. A total of 15 items in the parent proxy-report questionnaire and 13 items in the child report questionnaire showed adequate content validity. Conclusions Consensus was reached by experts on the content of a pediatric CAM questionnaire. Face and content validity testing and modifications made to the WHAT questionnaires have helped ensure adequate preliminary validity for use in pediatric rheumatology. This constitutes the basis for further testing of these questionnaires in pediatric rheumatology and for adaptation to other chronic diseases. PMID:26964088

  14. Development and Preliminary Face and Content Validation of the "Which Health Approaches and Treatments Are You Using?" (WHAT) Questionnaires Assessing Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use in Pediatric Rheumatology.

    PubMed

    Toupin April, Karine; Stinson, Jennifer; Boon, Heather; Duffy, Ciarán M; Huber, Adam M; Gibbon, Michele; Descarreaux, Martin; Spiegel, Lynn; Vohra, Sunita; Tugwell, Peter

    2016-01-01

    Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is commonly used by children with juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), yet no validated questionnaires assess that use. The objective of this study was to develop child self- and parent proxy-report questionnaires assessing CAM use and to determine the face and content validity of the "Which Health Approaches and Treatments are you using?" (WHAT) questionnaires in pediatric rheumatology. A sequential phased mixed methods approach was used to develop the questionnaires. A Delphi Survey of 126 experts followed by an interdisciplinary consensus conference of 14 stakeholders in CAM, general pediatrics and pediatric rheumatology was held to develop consensus on the content of the questionnaires using a nominal group technique. To determine face and content validity of the questionnaires, two groups, including (a) a purposive sample of 22 children with JIA 8 to 18 years and their parents from the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario and the Hospital for Sick Children, and (b) 21 Canadian pediatric rheumatology experts, participated in interviews. Participants were independently asked about the goal, understandability and comprehensiveness of the WHAT questionnaires, as well as the relevance of items. Consensus was reached on 17 items of the WHAT questionnaires. The domains found to be relevant were child's CAM use, factors associated with CAM use, perceived impact of CAM use, and communication about CAM. A total of 15 items in the parent proxy-report questionnaire and 13 items in the child report questionnaire showed adequate content validity. Consensus was reached by experts on the content of a pediatric CAM questionnaire. Face and content validity testing and modifications made to the WHAT questionnaires have helped ensure adequate preliminary validity for use in pediatric rheumatology. This constitutes the basis for further testing of these questionnaires in pediatric rheumatology and for adaptation to other chronic diseases.

  15. Two-Step Screening for Depressive Symptoms and Prediction of Mortality in Patients With Heart Failure.

    PubMed

    Lee, Kyoung Suk; Moser, Debra K; Pelter, Michele; Biddle, Martha J; Dracup, Kathleen

    2017-05-01

    Comorbid depression in patients with heart failure is associated with increased risk for death. In order to effectively identify depressed patients with cardiac disease, the American Heart Association suggests a 2-step screening method: administering the 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire first and then the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire. However, whether the 2-step method is better for predicting poor prognosis in heart failure than is either the 2-item or the 9-item tool alone is not known. To determine whether the 2-step method is better than either the 2-item or the 9-item questionnaire alone for predicting all-cause mortality in heart failure. During a 2-year period, 562 patients with heart failure were assessed for depression by using the 2-step method. With the 2-step method, results are considered positive if patients endorse either depressed mood or anhedonia on the 2-item screen and have scores of 10 or higher on the 9-item screen. Screening results with the 2-step method were not associated with all-cause mortality. Patients with scores positive for depression on either the 2-item or 9-item screen alone had 53% and 60% greater risk, respectively, for all-cause death than did patients with scores negative for depression after adjustments for covariates (hazard ratio, 1.530; 95% CI, 1.029-2.274 for the 2-item screen; hazard ratio, 1.603; 95% CI, 1.079-2.383 for the 9-item screen). The 2-step method has no clear advantages compared with the 2-item screen alone or the 9-item screen alone for predicting adverse prognostic effects of depressive symptoms in heart failure. ©2017 American Association of Critical-Care Nurses.

  16. Fear of progression in chronic diseases: psychometric properties of the Fear of Progression Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Herschbach, Peter; Berg, Petra; Dankert, Andrea; Duran, Gabriele; Engst-Hastreiter, Ursula; Waadt, Sabine; Keller, Monika; Ukat, Robert; Henrich, Gerhard

    2005-06-01

    The aim of this study was the development and psychometric testing of a new psychological questionnaire to measure the fear of progression (FoP) in chronically ill patients (cancer, diabetes mellitus and rheumatic diseases). The Fear of Progression Questionnaire (FoP-Q) was developed in four phases: (1) generation of items (65 interviews); (2) reduction of items--the initial version of the questionnaire (87 items) was presented to 411 patients, to construct subscales and test the reliability; (3) testing the convergent and discriminative validity of the reduced test version (43 items) within a new sample (n=439); (4) translation--German to English. The scale comprised five factors (Cronbach's alpha >.70): affective reactions (13 items), partnership/family (7), occupation (7), loss of autonomy (7) and coping with anxiety (9). The test-retest reliability coefficients varied between .77 and .94. There was only a medium relationship to traditional anxiety scales. This is an indication of the independence of the FoP. Significant relationships between the FoP-Q and the patient's illness behaviour indicate discriminative validity. The FoP-Q is a new and unique questionnaire developed for the chronically ill. A major problem and source of stress for this patient group has been measuring both specifically and economically the FoP of an illness. The FoP-Q was designed to resolve this problem, fulfill this need and reduce this stress.

  17. Development of a Short Questionnaire to Measure an Extended Set of Job Demands, Job Resources, and Positive Health Outcomes: The New Brief Job Stress Questionnaire

    PubMed Central

    INOUE, Akiomi; KAWAKAMI, Norito; SHIMOMITSU, Teruichi; TSUTSUMI, Akizumi; HARATANI, Takashi; YOSHIKAWA, Toru; SHIMAZU, Akihito; ODAGIRI, Yuko

    2014-01-01

    This study aimed to investigate the reliability and construct validity of a new version of the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (New BJSQ), which measures an extended set of psychosocial factors at work by adding new scales/items to the current version of the BJSQ. Additional scales/items were extensively collected from theoretical job stress models and similar questionnaires in several countries. Scales/items were field-tested and refined through a pilot internet survey. Finally, an 84-item questionnaire (141 items in total when combined with the current BJSQ) was developed. A nationally representative survey was administered to employees in Japan (n=1,633) to examine the reliability and construct validity. Most scales showed acceptable levels of internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Principal component analyses showed that the first factor explained 50% or greater proportion of the variance in most scales. A scale factor analysis and a correlation analysis showed that these scales fit the theoretical expectations. These findings provided a piece of evidence that the New BJSQ scales are reliable and valid. Although more detailed content and construct validity should be examined in future study, the New BJSQ is a useful instrument to evaluate psychosocial work environment and positive mental health outcomes in the current workplace. PMID:24492763

  18. Development and validation of a patient self-assessed questionnaire on satisfaction with communication of the multiple sclerosis diagnosis.

    PubMed

    Solari, A; Mattarozzi, K; Vignatelli, L; Giordano, A; Russo, P M; Uccelli, M Messmer; D'Alessandro, R

    2010-10-01

    We describe the development and clinical validation of a patient self-administered tool assessing the quality of multiple sclerosis diagnosis disclosure. A multiple sclerosis expert panel generated questionnaire items from the Doctor's Interpersonal Skills Questionnaire, literature review, and interviews with neurology inpatients. The resulting 19-item Comunicazione medico-paziente nella Sclerosi Multipla (COSM) was pilot tested/debriefed on seven patients with multiple sclerosis and administered to 80 patients newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The resulting revised 20-item version (COSM-R) was debriefed on five patients with multiple sclerosis, field tested/debriefed on multiple sclerosis patients, and field tested on 105 patients newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis participating in a clinical trial on an information aid. The hypothesized monofactorial structure of COSM-R section 2 was tested on the latter two groups. The questionnaire was well accepted. Scaling assumptions were satisfactory in terms of score distributions, item-total correlations and internal consistency. Factor analysis confirmed section 2's monofactorial structure, which was also test-retest reliable (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] 0.73; 95% CI 0.54-0.85). Section 1 had only fair test-retest reliability (ICC 0.45; 95% CI 0.12-0.69), and three items had 8-21% missed responses. COSM-R is a brief, easy-to-interpret MS-specific questionnaire for use as a health care indicator.

  19. Revealing barriers and facilitators to use a new genetic test: comparison of three user involvement methods.

    PubMed

    Rhebergen, Martijn D F; Visser, Maaike J; Verberk, Maarten M; Lenderink, Annet F; van Dijk, Frank J H; Kezic, Sanja; Hulshof, Carel T J

    2012-10-01

    We compared three common user involvement methods in revealing barriers and facilitators from intended users that might influence their use of a new genetic test. The study was part of the development of a new genetic test on the susceptibility to hand eczema for nurses. Eighty student nurses participated in five focus groups (n = 33), 15 interviews (n = 15) or questionnaires (n = 32). For each method, data were collected until saturation. We compared the mean number of items and relevant remarks that could influence the use of the genetic test obtained per method, divided by the number of participants in that method. Thematic content analysis was performed using MAXQDA software. The focus groups revealed 30 unique items compared to 29 in the interviews and 21 in the questionnaires. The interviews produced more items and relevant remarks per participant (1.9 and 8.4 pp) than focus groups (0.9 and 4.8 pp) or questionnaires (0.7 and 2.3 pp). All three involvement methods revealed relevant barriers and facilitators to use a new genetic test. Focus groups and interviews revealed substantially more items than questionnaires. Furthermore, this study suggests a preference for the use of interviews because the number of items per participant was higher than for focus groups and questionnaires. This conclusion may be valid for other genetic tests as well.

  20. Development of a short questionnaire to measure an extended set of job demands, job resources, and positive health outcomes: the new brief job stress questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Inoue, Akiomi; Kawakami, Norito; Shimomitsu, Teruichi; Tsutsumi, Akizumi; Haratani, Takashi; Yoshikawa, Toru; Shimazu, Akihito; Odagiri, Yuko

    2014-01-01

    This study aimed to investigate the reliability and construct validity of a new version of the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (New BJSQ), which measures an extended set of psychosocial factors at work by adding new scales/items to the current version of the BJSQ. Additional scales/items were extensively collected from theoretical job stress models and similar questionnaires in several countries. Scales/items were field-tested and refined through a pilot internet survey. Finally, an 84-item questionnaire (141 items in total when combined with the current BJSQ) was developed. A nationally representative survey was administered to employees in Japan (n=1,633) to examine the reliability and construct validity. Most scales showed acceptable levels of internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Principal component analyses showed that the first factor explained 50% or greater proportion of the variance in most scales. A scale factor analysis and a correlation analysis showed that these scales fit the theoretical expectations. These findings provided a piece of evidence that the New BJSQ scales are reliable and valid. Although more detailed content and construct validity should be examined in future study, the New BJSQ is a useful instrument to evaluate psychosocial work environment and positive mental health outcomes in the current workplace.

  1. The views of healthcare professionals, drug developers and regulators on information about older people needed for rational drug prescription.

    PubMed

    Beers, Erna; Egberts, Toine C G; Leufkens, Hubert G M; Jansen, Paul A F

    2013-01-01

    The ICH E7 guideline intends to improve the knowledge about medicines in geriatric patients. As a legislative document, it might not reflect the needs of healthcare professionals. This study investigated what information healthcare professionals, regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical industries consider necessary for rational drug prescribing to older individuals. A 29-item-questionnaire was composed, considering the representation in trials, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, safety, and convenience of use in older individuals, with space for additions. Forty-three European professionals with an interest in medication for older individuals were included. In order to investigate their relevance, five items were included in a second questionnaire, with 11 control items. Median scores, differences between clinical and non-clinical respondents and response consistency were analysed. Consistency was present in 10 control items. Therefore, all items of the first questionnaire and the five additional items were analysed. Thirty-seven (86%) respondents returned the first questionnaire; 31/37 (84%) the second. Information about age-related differences in adverse events, locomotor effects, drug-disease interactions, dosing instructions, and information about the proportion of included 65+ patients was considered necessary by most respondents. Clinicians considered information significantly more important than the non-clinical respondents about the inclusion of 75+, time-until-benefit in older people, anticholinergic effects, drug-disease interactions, and convenience of use. Main study limitations are the focus on information for daily practice, while the ICH E7 guideline is a legislative document focused on market approval of a new medicine. Also, a questionnaire with a Likert scale has its limitations; this was addressed by providing space for comments. This study reveals that items considered necessary are currently not included in the ICH E7 guideline. Also, clinicians' and non-clinicians' opinions differed significantly in 15% of the items. Therefore, all stakeholders should collaborate to improve the availability of information for the rational prescribing to older individuals.

  2. The Views of Healthcare Professionals, Drug Developers and Regulators on Information about Older People Needed for Rational Drug Prescription

    PubMed Central

    Beers, Erna; Egberts, Toine C. G.; Leufkens, Hubert G. M.; Jansen, Paul A. F.

    2013-01-01

    Background The ICH E7 guideline intends to improve the knowledge about medicines in geriatric patients. As a legislative document, it might not reflect the needs of healthcare professionals. This study investigated what information healthcare professionals, regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical industries consider necessary for rational drug prescribing to older individuals. Methods and Findings A 29-item-questionnaire was composed, considering the representation in trials, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, safety, and convenience of use in older individuals, with space for additions. Forty-three European professionals with an interest in medication for older individuals were included. In order to investigate their relevance, five items were included in a second questionnaire, with 11 control items. Median scores, differences between clinical and non-clinical respondents and response consistency were analysed. Consistency was present in 10 control items. Therefore, all items of the first questionnaire and the five additional items were analysed. Thirty-seven (86%) respondents returned the first questionnaire; 31/37 (84%) the second. Information about age-related differences in adverse events, locomotor effects, drug-disease interactions, dosing instructions, and information about the proportion of included 65+ patients was considered necessary by most respondents. Clinicians considered information significantly more important than the non-clinical respondents about the inclusion of 75+, time-until-benefit in older people, anticholinergic effects, drug-disease interactions, and convenience of use. Main study limitations are the focus on information for daily practice, while the ICH E7 guideline is a legislative document focused on market approval of a new medicine. Also, a questionnaire with a Likert scale has its limitations; this was addressed by providing space for comments. Conclusions This study reveals that items considered necessary are currently not included in the ICH E7 guideline. Also, clinicians’ and non-clinicians’ opinions differed significantly in 15% of the items. Therefore, all stakeholders should collaborate to improve the availability of information for the rational prescribing to older individuals. PMID:23977208

  3. Digitised audio questionnaire for assessment of informed consent comprehension in a low-literacy African research population: development and psychometric evaluation

    PubMed Central

    Afolabi, Muhammed O; Bojang, Kalifa; D'Alessandro, Umberto; Ota, Martin O C; Imoukhuede, Egeruan B; Ravinetto, Raffaella; Larson, Heidi J; McGrath, Nuala; Chandramohan, Daniel

    2014-01-01

    Objective To develop and psychometrically evaluate an audio digitised tool for assessment of comprehension of informed consent among low-literacy Gambian research participants. Setting We conducted this study in the Gambia where a high illiteracy rate and absence of standardised writing formats of local languages pose major challenges for research participants to comprehend consent information. We developed a 34-item questionnaire to assess participants’ comprehension of key elements of informed consent. The questionnaire was face validated and content validated by experienced researchers. To bypass the challenge of a lack of standardised writing formats, we audiorecorded the questionnaire in three major Gambian languages: Mandinka, Wolof and Fula. The questionnaire was further developed into an audio computer-assisted interview format. Participants The digitised questionnaire was administered to 250 participants enrolled in two clinical trials in the urban and rural areas of the Gambia. One week after first administration, the questionnaire was readministered to half of the participants who were randomly selected. Participants were eligible if enrolled in the parent trials and could speak any of the three major Gambian languages. Outcome measure The primary outcome measure was reliability and validity of the questionnaire. Results Item reduction by factor analysis showed that 21 of the question items have strong factor loadings. These were retained along with five other items which were fundamental components of informed consent. The 26-item questionnaire has high internal consistency with a Cronbach's α of 0.73–0.79 and an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.94 (95% CI 0.923 to 0.954). Hypotheses testing also showed that the questionnaire has a positive correlation with a similar questionnaire and discriminates between participants with and without education. Conclusions We have developed a reliable and valid measure of comprehension of informed consent information for the Gambian context, which might be easily adapted to similar settings. This is a major step towards engendering comprehension of informed consent information among low-literacy participants. PMID:24961716

  4. Digitised audio questionnaire for assessment of informed consent comprehension in a low-literacy African research population: development and psychometric evaluation.

    PubMed

    Afolabi, Muhammed O; Bojang, Kalifa; D'Alessandro, Umberto; Ota, Martin O C; Imoukhuede, Egeruan B; Ravinetto, Raffaella; Larson, Heidi J; McGrath, Nuala; Chandramohan, Daniel

    2014-06-24

    To develop and psychometrically evaluate an audio digitised tool for assessment of comprehension of informed consent among low-literacy Gambian research participants. We conducted this study in the Gambia where a high illiteracy rate and absence of standardised writing formats of local languages pose major challenges for research participants to comprehend consent information. We developed a 34-item questionnaire to assess participants' comprehension of key elements of informed consent. The questionnaire was face validated and content validated by experienced researchers. To bypass the challenge of a lack of standardised writing formats, we audiorecorded the questionnaire in three major Gambian languages: Mandinka, Wolof and Fula. The questionnaire was further developed into an audio computer-assisted interview format. The digitised questionnaire was administered to 250 participants enrolled in two clinical trials in the urban and rural areas of the Gambia. One week after first administration, the questionnaire was readministered to half of the participants who were randomly selected. Participants were eligible if enrolled in the parent trials and could speak any of the three major Gambian languages. The primary outcome measure was reliability and validity of the questionnaire. Item reduction by factor analysis showed that 21 of the question items have strong factor loadings. These were retained along with five other items which were fundamental components of informed consent. The 26-item questionnaire has high internal consistency with a Cronbach's α of 0.73-0.79 and an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.94 (95% CI 0.923 to 0.954). Hypotheses testing also showed that the questionnaire has a positive correlation with a similar questionnaire and discriminates between participants with and without education. We have developed a reliable and valid measure of comprehension of informed consent information for the Gambian context, which might be easily adapted to similar settings. This is a major step towards engendering comprehension of informed consent information among low-literacy participants. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

  5. BCQ+: a body constitution questionnaire to assess Yang-Xu. Part I: establishment of a first final version through a Delphi process.

    PubMed

    Su, Yi-Chang; Chen, Li-Li; Lin, Jun-Dai; Lin, Jui-Shan; Huang, Yi-Chia; Lai, Jim-Shoung

    2008-12-01

    Assessing an individual's level of Yang deficiency (Yang-Xu) by its manifestations is a frequent issue in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) clinical trials. To this end, an objective, reliable and rigorous diagnostic tool is required. This study aimed to develop a first final version of the Yang-Xu Constitution Questionnaire. We conducted 3 steps to develop such an objective measurement tool: 1) the research team was formed and a panel of 26 experts was selected for the Delphi process; 2) items for the questionnaire were generated by literature review and a Delphi process; items were reworded into colloquial questions; face and content validity of the items were evaluated through a Delphi process again; 3) the difficulty of the questionnaire was evaluated in a pilot study with 81 subjects aged 20-60 years. The literature review retrieved 35 relevant items which matched the definition of 'constitution' and 'Yang-Xu'. After a first Delphi process, 22 items were retained and translated into colloquial questions. According to the second part of the Delphi process, the content validity index of each of the 22 questions ranged between 0.85-1. These 22 questions were evaluated by 81 subjects, 2 questions that were hard to tell the difference were combined; 3 questions were modified after the research team had discussed the participants' feedback. Finally, the questionnaire was established with 21 questions. This first final version of a questionnaire to assess Yang-Xu constitution with considerable face and content validity may serve as a basis to develop an advanced Yang-Xu questionnaire. 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  6. A comprehensive questionnaire for the assessment of health-related quality of life in coeliac disease (CDQL).

    PubMed

    Skjerning, Halfdan; Hourihane, Jonathan; Husby, Steffen; DunnGalvin, Audrey

    2017-10-01

    Coeliac disease (CD) is a chronic immune-mediated disease in genetically susceptible individuals, induced by ingested gluten. The treatment for CD is a lifelong gluten-free diet (GFD). The GFD involves restrictions in diet that may impact on a person's Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL). The aim of the present study was to develop the Coeliac Disease Quality of Life questionnaire (CDQL): a comprehensive CD-specific HRQoL measure that can be completed by children, adolescents, and adults or by proxy. The questionnaire was developed in three phases. In phase 1, focus group methods and qualitative analysis of verbatim transcripts generated CD-specific items for a prototype instrument to sensitively captured patient concerns. In phase 2, CD patients completed the prototype CDQL. The questionnaire was refined through analysis of data and cognitive interviewing. In phase 3, the final version of the CDQL was answered by Danish respondents. The psychometric properties of the CDQL were assessed, and the HRQoL data were analyzed. The CDQL was completed by 422 respondents. The CDQL has 12 patient background items, 2 generic HRQoL items, and 30 CD-specific HRQoL item. The CD-specific HRQoL items were distributed on eight scales with acceptable to excellent reliability. Comprehensiveness and understandability was shown by feedback from cognitive interviewing from children, adolescents, and adults. Content validity was ensured by involving patients and clinicians in the development of the questionnaire. Sensitivity of the questionnaire was demonstrated in differences found between children, adolescents, and adult's perception of their HRQoL in relation to having CD. The CDQL comprehensively measures HRQoL in CD, and is psychometrically robust. The questionnaire may prove useful in tracking HRQoL in CD across age groups.

  7. Theoretical implementation of prior knowledge in the design of a multi-scale prosthesis satisfaction questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Schürmann, Tim; Beckerle, Philipp; Preller, Julia; Vogt, Joachim; Christ, Oliver

    2016-12-19

    In product development for lower limb prosthetic devices, a set of special criteria needs to be met. Prosthetic devices have a direct impact on the rehabilitation process after an amputation with both perceived technological and psychological aspects playing an important role. However, available psychometric questionnaires fail to consider the important links between these two dimensions. In this article a probabilistic latent trait model is proposed with seven technical and psychological factors which measure satisfaction with the prosthesis. The results of a first study are used to determine the basic parameters of the statistical model. These distributions represent hypotheses about factor loadings between manifest items and latent factors of the proposed psychometric questionnaire. A study was conducted and analyzed to form hypotheses for the prior distributions of the questionnaire's measurement model. An expert agreement study conducted on 22 experts was used to determine the prior distribution of item-factor loadings in the model. Model parameters that had to be specified as part of the measurement model were informed prior distributions on the item-factor loadings. For the current 70 items in the questionnaire, each factor loading was set to represent the certainty with which experts had assigned the items to their respective factors. Considering only the measurement model and not the structural model of the questionnaire, 70 out of 217 informed prior distributions on parameters were set. The use of preliminary studies to set prior distributions in latent trait models, while being a relatively new approach in psychological research, provides helpful information towards the design of a seven factor questionnaire that means to identify relations between technical and psychological factors in prosthetic product design and rehabilitation medicine.

  8. Child and adolescent psychiatry: which knowledge and skills do primary care physicians need to have? A survey in general practitioners and paediatricians.

    PubMed

    Lempp, Thomas; Heinzel-Gutenbrunner, Monika; Bachmann, Christian

    2016-04-01

    Primary care physicians (PCPs) play a key role in the initial assessment and management of children and adolescents with mental health problems. However, it is unclear whether current medical education curricula sufficiently equip PCPs for this task. The aim of this study was to investigate, which child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP)-related skills and knowledge PCPs say they require in their daily practice. A questionnaire was generated, employing a modified two-step Delphi approach. Besides socio-demographic items, the questionnaire contained 17 CAP-related knowledge items and 13 CAP-related skills items, which had to be rated by importance in daily practice. The questionnaire was distributed to 348 office-based paediatricians and 500 general practitioners (GPs) in Germany. The overall return rate was 51.3% (435/848). Regarding CAP-related knowledge, both paediatricians and GPs rated somatoform disorders and obesity as highly important for daily practice. Moreover, paediatricians also deemed regulatory disorders during infancy (e.g. crying, sleep disorders) as important, while GPs assessed knowledge on paediatric depression as relevant. For paediatricians and GPs, the most relevant CAP-related skills were communicating with children and adolescents and their parents. Additionally, paediatricians rated differentiating between non-pathologic and clinically relevant behaviour problems very relevant, while GPs considered basic psychotherapeutic skills essential. The CAP-related knowledge and skills perceived relevant for doctors in primary care differ from the majority of current medical school CAP curricula, which cover mainly typical, epitomic CAP disorders and are predominantly knowledge-oriented. Therefore, medical education in CAP should be amended to reflect the needs of PCPs to improve healthcare for children and adolescents with mental health problems.

  9. Cross-cultural adaptation of the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP) for the Malaysian adult population.

    PubMed

    Saub, R; Locker, D; Allison, P; Disman, M

    2007-09-01

    The aim of this project was to develop an oral health related-quality of life measure for the Malaysian adult population aged 18 and above by the cross-cultural adaption the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP). The adaptation of the OHIP was based on the framework proposed by Herdman et al (1998). The OHIP was translated into the Malay language using a forward-backward translation technique. Thirty-six patients were interviewed to assess the conceptual equivalence and relevancy of each item. Based on the translation process and interview results a Malaysian version of the OHIP questionnaire was produced that contained 45 items. It was designated as the OHIP(M). This questionnaire was pre-tested on 20 patients to assess its face validity. A short 14-item version of the questionnaire was completed by 171 patients to assess the suitability of the Likert-type response format. Field-testing was conducted in order to assess the suitability of two modes of administration (mail and interview) and to establish the psychometric properties of the adapted measure. The pre-testing revealed that the OHIP(M) has good face validity. It was found that the five-point frequency Likert scale could be used for the Malaysian population. The OHIP(M) was reliable, where the scale Cronbach's alpha was 0.95 and the ICC value for test-retest reliability was 0.79. Three out four construct validity hypotheses tested were confirmed. OHIP(M) works equally well as the English version. OHIP(M) was found to be reliable and valid regardless of the mode of administration. However, this study only provides initial evidence for the reliability and validity of the measure. Further study is recommended to collect more evidence to support these results.

  10. Reliability and Validity of a Survey to Measure Bowel Function and Quality of Life in Long-term Rectal Cancer Survivors

    PubMed Central

    Wendel, Christopher S.; Grant, Marcia; Herrinton, Lisa; Temple, Larissa K. F.; Hornbrook, Mark C.; McMullen, Carmit K.; Bulkley, Joanna E.; Altschuler, Andrea; Krouse, Robert S.

    2014-01-01

    Purpose Examine reliability and validity of a specialized health-related quality of life questionnaire for rectal cancer (RC) survivors (≥5 years post diagnosis). Methods We mailed 1,063 Kaiser Permanente (KP) RC survivors (313 ostomy, 750 anastomosis) a questionnaire containing the Modified City of Hope Quality of Life-Ostomy (mCOH-QOL-O), SF-12v2, Duke–UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire (FSSQ), and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Bowel Function Index (BFI). We adapted certain BFI items for use by subjects with intestinal ostomies. We evaluated reliability for all instruments with inter-item correlations and Cronbach’s alpha. We assessed construct validity only for the BFI in the ostomy group, because such use has not been reported. Results The overall response rate was 60.5% (577 respondents/953 eligible). Compared to nonresponders, participants were on average 2 years younger and more likely non-Hispanic white, resided in educationally nondeprived areas, and had KP membership through a group. The mCOH-QOL-O, SF-12, and FSSQ were found to be highly reliable for RC survivors. In the ostomy group, BFI Urgency/Soilage and Dietary subscales were found to be reliable, but Frequency was not. Factor analysis supported the construct of Urgency/Soilage and Dietary subscales in the ostomy group, although one item had a moderate correlation with all three factors. The BFI also demonstrated good concurrent validity with other instruments in the ostomy group. Conclusions With possible exception of the BFI Frequency subscale in populations with ostomies, components of our survey can be used for the entire population of RC survivors, no matter whether they received anastomosis or ostomy. PMID:24890826

  11. Reliability and validity of a survey to measure bowel function and quality of life in long-term rectal cancer survivors.

    PubMed

    Wendel, Christopher S; Grant, Marcia; Herrinton, Lisa; Temple, Larissa K F; Hornbrook, Mark C; McMullen, Carmit K; Bulkley, Joanna E; Altschuler, Andrea; Krouse, Robert S

    2014-12-01

    Examination of reliability and validity of a specialized health-related quality of life questionnaire for rectal cancer (RC) survivors (≥5 years post-diagnosis). We mailed 1,063 Kaiser Permanente (KP) RC survivors (313 ostomy and 750 anastomosis) a questionnaire containing the Modified City of Hope Quality of Life-Ostomy (mCOH-QOL-O), SF-12v2, Duke-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire (FSSQ), and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Bowel Function Index (BFI). We adapted certain BFI items for use by subjects with intestinal ostomies. We evaluated reliability for all instruments with inter-item correlations and Cronbach's alpha. We assessed construct validity only for the BFI in the ostomy group, because such use has not been reported. The overall response rate was 60.5 % (577 respondents/953 eligible). Compared with non-responders, participants were on average 2 years younger and more likely non-Hispanic white, resided in educationally non-deprived areas, and had KP membership through a group. The mCOH-QOL-O, SF-12, and FSSQ were found to be highly reliable for RC survivors. In the ostomy group, BFI Urgency/Soilage and Dietary subscales were found to be reliable, but Frequency was not. Factor analysis supported the construct of Urgency/Soilage and Dietary subscales in the ostomy group, although one item had a moderate correlation with all three factors. The BFI also demonstrated good concurrent validity with other instruments in the ostomy group. With possible exception of the BFI Frequency subscale in populations with ostomies, components of our survey can be used for the entire population of RC survivors, no matter whether they received anastomosis or ostomy.

  12. The Emotional Communication in Hearing Questionnaire (EMO-CHeQ): Development and Evaluation.

    PubMed

    Singh, Gurjit; Liskovoi, Lisa; Launer, Stefan; Russo, Frank

    2018-06-11

    The objectives of this research were to develop and evaluate a self-report questionnaire (the Emotional Communication in Hearing Questionnaire or EMO-CHeQ) designed to assess experiences of hearing and handicap when listening to signals that contain vocal emotion information. Study 1 involved internet-based administration of a 42-item version of the EMO-CHeQ to 586 adult participants (243 with self-reported normal hearing [NH], 193 with self-reported hearing impairment but no reported use of hearing aids [HI], and 150 with self-reported hearing impairment and use of hearing aids [HA]). To better understand the factor structure of the EMO-CHeQ and eliminate redundant items, an exploratory factor analysis was conducted. Study 2 involved laboratory-based administration of a 16-item version of the EMO-CHeQ to 32 adult participants (12 normal hearing/near normal hearing (NH/nNH), 10 HI, and 10 HA). In addition, participants completed an emotion-identification task under audio and audiovisual conditions. In study 1, the exploratory factor analysis yielded an interpretable solution with four factors emerging that explained a total of 66.3% of the variance in performance the EMO-CHeQ. Item deletion resulted in construction of the 16-item EMO-CHeQ. In study 1, both the HI and HA group reported greater vocal emotion communication handicap on the EMO-CHeQ than on the NH group, but differences in handicap were not observed between the HI and HA group. In study 2, the same pattern of reported handicap was observed in individuals with audiometrically verified hearing as was found in study 1. On the emotion-identification task, no group differences in performance were observed in the audiovisual condition, but group differences were observed in the audio alone condition. Although the HI and HA group exhibited similar emotion-identification performance, both groups performed worse than the NH/nNH group, thus suggesting the presence of behavioral deficits that parallel self-reported vocal emotion communication handicap. The EMO-CHeQ was significantly and strongly (r = -0.64) correlated with performance on the emotion-identification task for listeners with hearing impairment. The results from both studies suggest that the EMO-CHeQ appears to be a reliable and ecologically valid measure to rapidly assess experiences of hearing and handicap when listening to signals that contain vocal emotion information.This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives License 4.0 (CCBY-NC-ND), where it is permissible to download and share the work provided it is properly cited. The work cannot be changed in any way or used commercially without permission from the journal.

  13. The feeding practices and structure questionnaire: construction and initial validation in a sample of Australian first-time mothers and their 2-year olds.

    PubMed

    Jansen, Elena; Mallan, Kimberley M; Nicholson, Jan M; Daniels, Lynne A

    2014-06-04

    Early feeding practices lay the foundation for children's eating habits and weight gain. Questionnaires are available to assess parental feeding but overlapping and inconsistent items, subscales and terminology limit conceptual clarity and between study comparisons. Our aim was to consolidate a range of existing items into a parsimonious and conceptually robust questionnaire for assessing feeding practices with very young children (<3 years). Data were from 462 mothers and children (age 21-27 months) from the NOURISH trial. Items from five questionnaires and two study-specific items were submitted to a priori item selection, allocation and verification, before theoretically-derived factors were tested using Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Construct validity of the new factors was examined by correlating these with child eating behaviours and weight. Following expert review 10 factors were specified. Of these, 9 factors (40 items) showed acceptable model fit and internal reliability (Cronbach's α: 0.61-0.89). Four factors reflected non-responsive feeding practices: 'Distrust in Appetite', 'Reward for Behaviour', 'Reward for Eating', and 'Persuasive Feeding'. Five factors reflected structure of the meal environment and limits: 'Structured Meal Setting', 'Structured Meal Timing', 'Family Meal Setting', 'Overt Restriction' and 'Covert Restriction'. Feeding practices generally showed the expected pattern of associations with child eating behaviours but none with weight. The Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire (FPSQ) provides a new reliable and valid measure of parental feeding practices, specifically maternal responsiveness to children's hunger/satiety signals facilitated by routine and structure in feeding. Further validation in more diverse samples is required.

  14. Development of a new occupational balance-questionnaire: incorporating the perspectives of patients and healthy people in the design of a self-reported occupational balance outcome instrument.

    PubMed

    Dür, Mona; Steiner, Günter; Fialka-Moser, Veronika; Kautzky-Willer, Alexandra; Dejaco, Clemens; Prodinger, Birgit; Stoffer, Michaela Alexandra; Binder, Alexa; Smolen, Josef; Stamm, Tanja Alexandra

    2014-04-05

    Self-reported outcome instruments in health research have become increasingly important over the last decades. Occupational therapy interventions often focus on occupational balance. However, instruments to measure occupational balance are scarce. The aim of the study was therefore to develop a generic self-reported outcome instrument to assess occupational balance based on the experiences of patients and healthy people including an examination of its psychometric properties. We conducted a qualitative analysis of the life stories of 90 people with and without chronic autoimmune diseases to identify components of occupational balance. Based on these components, the Occupational Balance-Questionnaire (OB-Quest) was developed. Construct validity and internal consistency of the OB-Quest were examined in quantitative data. We used Rasch analyses to determine overall fit of the items to the Rasch model, person separation index and potential differential item functioning. Dimensionality testing was conducted by the use of t-tests and Cronbach's alpha. The following components emerged from the qualitative analyses: challenging and relaxing activities, activities with acknowledgement by the individual and by the sociocultural context, impact of health condition on activities, involvement in stressful activities and fewer stressing activities, rest and sleep, variety of activities, adaptation of activities according to changed living conditions and activities intended to care for oneself and for others. Based on these, the seven items of the questionnaire (OB-Quest) were developed. 251 people (132 with rheumatoid arthritis, 43 with systematic lupus erythematous and 76 healthy) filled in the OB-Quest. Dimensionality testing indicated multidimensionality of the questionnaire (t = 0.58, and 1.66 after item reduction, non-significant). The item on the component rest and sleep showed differential item functioning (health condition and age). Person separation index was 0.51. Cronbach's alpha changed from 0.38 to 0.57 after deleting two items. This questionnaire includes new items addressing components of occupational balance meaningful to patients and healthy people which have not been measured so far. The reduction of two items of the OB-Quest showed improved internal consistency. The multidimensionality of the questionnaire indicates the need for a summary of several components into subscales.

  15. Development of a new occupational balance-questionnaire: incorporating the perspectives of patients and healthy people in the design of a self-reported occupational balance outcome instrument

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Self-reported outcome instruments in health research have become increasingly important over the last decades. Occupational therapy interventions often focus on occupational balance. However, instruments to measure occupational balance are scarce. The aim of the study was therefore to develop a generic self-reported outcome instrument to assess occupational balance based on the experiences of patients and healthy people including an examination of its psychometric properties. Methods We conducted a qualitative analysis of the life stories of 90 people with and without chronic autoimmune diseases to identify components of occupational balance. Based on these components, the Occupational Balance-Questionnaire (OB-Quest) was developed. Construct validity and internal consistency of the OB-Quest were examined in quantitative data. We used Rasch analyses to determine overall fit of the items to the Rasch model, person separation index and potential differential item functioning. Dimensionality testing was conducted by the use of t-tests and Cronbach’s alpha. Results The following components emerged from the qualitative analyses: challenging and relaxing activities, activities with acknowledgement by the individual and by the sociocultural context, impact of health condition on activities, involvement in stressful activities and fewer stressing activities, rest and sleep, variety of activities, adaptation of activities according to changed living conditions and activities intended to care for oneself and for others. Based on these, the seven items of the questionnaire (OB-Quest) were developed. 251 people (132 with rheumatoid arthritis, 43 with systematic lupus erythematous and 76 healthy) filled in the OB-Quest. Dimensionality testing indicated multidimensionality of the questionnaire (t = 0.58, and 1.66 after item reduction, non-significant). The item on the component rest and sleep showed differential item functioning (health condition and age). Person separation index was 0.51. Cronbach’s alpha changed from 0.38 to 0.57 after deleting two items. Conclusions This questionnaire includes new items addressing components of occupational balance meaningful to patients and healthy people which have not been measured so far. The reduction of two items of the OB-Quest showed improved internal consistency. The multidimensionality of the questionnaire indicates the need for a summary of several components into subscales. PMID:24708642

  16. Validation of a Screening Questionnaire for Chronic Leg Ulcers.

    PubMed

    Zarchi, Kian; Theut Riis, Peter; Graversgaard, Christine; Miller, Iben M; Heidenheim, Michael; Jemec, Gregor B E

    2016-12-01

    The use of a validated screening questionnaire to identify individuals with chronic leg ulcers allows large-scale population-based studies to be conducted that measure and monitor the prevalence of the disease. The aim of this study was to design and validate such a screening questionnaire to identify patients with chronic leg ulcers. A simple 3-item questionnaire was developed at the Department of Dermatology, University Hospital of Zealand, Denmark. In total, 90 patients attending the department's outpatient clinic for dermatological diseases and chronic wounds were included in this study. All included participants completed the questionnaire and were subsequently examined by dermatologists. We found that the constructed 3-item questionnaire in this study had a sensitivity and specificity of 95% and 93% and a positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 78% and 95%, respectively. Moreover, we found that the use of the 3-item questionnaire, as compared with a single question, in which the participants were asked whether they currently have a leg ulcer, resulted in significantly higher positive predictive value (+11.6%, P = .035) and specificity (+5.6%, P = .046) of the diagnostic test. Future studies are merited to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of the questionnaire in other populations and settings.

  17. Study of the questionnaire of the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV) teaching staff, using students opinion survey. Statistical treatment

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Martinez Gomez, Monica

    Quality improvement of university institutions represents the most important challenge in the next years, and the potential tool to achieve it is based on the institutional evaluation in general, and specially the evaluation of the teaching performance. The opinion questionnaire from the students is the most generalised tool used to evaluate the teaching performance at Spanish universities. The general objective of this thesis is to develop a statistical methodology suitable to extract, analyse and interpret the information contained in the Questionnaire of Teaching Evaluation from Student Opinion (CEDA) of the UPV, aimed at optimising its practical use. The study is centred in the application of different multivariate techniques and has been structured in three parts: (1) Evaluation of the reliability, validity and dimensionality of the tool. The multivariate method used for this purpose is the Factorial Analysis. (2) Determination of the capacity of the questionnaire to identify different profiles of lecturers based on the quality perceived by students. This target is conducted with different multivariate classification techniques: hierarchical cluster analysis, non-hierarchical and two-stage analysis. Moreover, those items that best discriminate among the teaching typologies obtained are identified in the questionnaire. (3) Identification of the teaching typologies according to different descriptive characteristics referent to the subject and lecturer, with the use of decision trees. Once identified these typologies, a new discriminant analysis is conducted aimed at identifying those items that best characterise each typology. Finally, a study is carried out with the classification method SIMCA (Soft Independent Modelling of Class Analogy) in order to determine the discriminant loading of every item among the identified teaching typologies, allowing the identification of those that best distinguish the different classes obtained. With the combined use of the proposed techniques, it is expected to optimise the use of CEDA as a measuring tool and an indicator of the teaching quality at the university, that would allow the introduction of actions for the continuous improvement in the teaching processes of the UPV.

  18. The Motherhood Inventory: A Questionnaire for Studying Attitudes Toward Motherhood.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hare-Mustin, Rachel T.; Broderick, Patricia C.

    The Motherhood Inventory (MI) is a 40-item questionnaire developed to study attitudes toward motherhood and the motherhood myth. It includes items related to the control of reproduction, abortion, adoption, single motherhood, male-female relationships, and idealized and punitive attitudes toward mothers. The MI was investigated using 301 subjects…

  19. The Personal Attributes Questionnaire: A Conceptual Analysis.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ozer, Daniel

    The rich complexity of the concepts of masculinity and femininity has been reflected in personality measures in at least two different ways: by employing a variety of subscales with comparatively homogeneous items or by using a single scale with comparatively heterogeneous items. The Personal Attributes Questionnaire (PAQ) was the subject of an…

  20. Testing Three-Item Versions for Seven of Young's Maladaptive Schema

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Blau, Gary; DiMino, John; Sheridan, Natalie; Pred, Robert S.; Beverly, Clyde; Chessler, Marcy

    2015-01-01

    The Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ) in either long-form (205- item) or short-form (75-item or 90-item) versions has demonstrated its clinical usefulness for assessing early maladaptive schemas. However, even a 75 or 90-item "short form", particularly when combined with other measures, can represent a lengthy…

  1. Development and Validation of the Human Papillomavirus Attitudes and Beliefs Scale in a National Canadian Sample.

    PubMed

    Perez, Samara; Shapiro, Gilla K; Tatar, Ovidiu; Joyal-Desmarais, Keven; Rosberger, Zeev

    2016-10-01

    Parents' human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination decision-making is strongly influenced by their attitudes and beliefs toward vaccination. To date, psychometrically evaluated HPV vaccination attitudes scales have been narrow in their range of measured beliefs and often limited to attitudes surrounding female HPV vaccination. The study aimed to develop a comprehensive, validated and reliable HPV vaccination attitudes and beliefs scale among parents of boys. Data were collected from Canadian parents of 9- to 16-year-old boys using an online questionnaire completed in 2 waves with a 7-month interval. Based on existing vaccination attitudes scales, a set of 61 attitude and belief items were developed. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted. Internal consistency was evaluated with Cronbach's α and stability over time with intraclass correlations. The HPV Attitudes and Beliefs Scale (HABS) was informed by 3117 responses at time 1 and 1427 at time 2. The HABS contains 46 items organized in 9 factors: Benefits (10 items), Threat (3 items), Influence (8 items), Harms (6 items), Risk (3 items), Affordability (3 items), Communication (5 items), Accessibility (4 items), and General Vaccination Attitudes (4 items). Model fit at time 2 were: χ/df = 3.13, standardized root mean square residual = 0.056, root mean square error approximation (confidence interval) = 0.039 (0.037-0.04), comparative fit index = 0.962 and Tucker-Lewis index = 0.957. Cronbach's αs were greater than 0.8 and intraclass correlations of factors were greater than 0.6. The HABS is the first psychometrically-tested scale of HPV attitude and beliefs among parents of boys available for use in English and French. Further testing among parents of girls and young adults and assessing predictive validity are warranted.

  2. Social Exclusion Index-for Health Surveys (SEI-HS): a prospective nationwide study to extend and validate a multidimensional social exclusion questionnaire.

    PubMed

    van Bergen, Addi P L; Hoff, Stella J M; Schreurs, Hanneke; van Loon, Annelies; van Hemert, Albert M

    2017-03-14

    Social exclusion (SE) refers to the inability of certain groups or individuals to fully participate in society. SE is associated with socioeconomic inequalities in health, and its measurement in routine public health monitoring is considered key to designing effective health policies. In an earlier retrospective analysis we demonstrated that in all four major Dutch cities, SE could largely be measured with existing local public health monitoring data. The current prospective study is aimed at constructing and validating an extended national measure for SE that optimally employs available items. In 2012, a stratified general population sample of 258,928 Dutch adults completed a version of the Netherlands Public Health Monitor (PHM) questionnaire in which 9 items were added covering aspects of SE that were found to be missing in our previous research. Items were derived from the SCP social exclusion index, a well-constructed 15-item instrument developed by the Netherlands Institute for Social Research (SCP). The dataset was randomly divided into a development sample (N =129,464) and a validation sample (N = 129,464). Canonical correlation analysis was conducted in the development sample. The psychometric properties were studied and compared with those of the original SCP index. All analyses were then replicated in the validation sample. The analysis yielded a four dimensional index, the Social Exclusion Index for Health Surveys (SEI-HS), containing 8 SCP items and 9 PHM items. The four dimensions: "lack of social participation", "material deprivation", "lack of normative integration" and "inadequate access to basic social rights", were each measured with 3 to 6 items. The SEI-HS showed adequate internal consistency for both the general index and for two of four dimension scales. The internal structure and construct validity of the SEI-HS were satisfactory and similar to the original SCP index. Replication of the SEI-HS in the validation sample confirmed its generalisability. This study demonstrates that the SEI-HS offers epidemiologists and public health researchers a uniform, reliable, valid and efficient means of assessing social exclusion and its underlying dimensions. The study also provides valuable insights in how to develop embedded measures for public health surveillance.

  3. Test-retest stability of the Task and Ego Orientation Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Lane, Andrew M; Nevill, Alan M; Bowes, Neal; Fox, Kenneth R

    2005-09-01

    Establishing stability, defined as observing minimal measurement error in a test-retest assessment, is vital to validating psychometric tools. Correlational methods, such as Pearson product-moment, intraclass, and kappa are tests of association or consistency, whereas stability or reproducibility (regarded here as synonymous) assesses the agreement between test-retest scores. Indexes of reproducibility using the Task and Ego Orientation in Sport Questionnaire (TEOSQ; Duda & Nicholls, 1992) were investigated using correlational (Pearson product-moment, intraclass, and kappa) methods, repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance, and calculating the proportion of agreement within a referent value of +/-1 as suggested by Nevill, Lane, Kilgour, Bowes, and Whyte (2001). Two hundred thirteen soccer players completed the TEOSQ on two occasions, 1 week apart. Correlation analyses indicated a stronger test-retest correlation for the Ego subscale than the Task subscale. Multivariate analysis of variance indicated stability for ego items but with significant increases in four task items. The proportion of test-retest agreement scores indicated that all ego items reported relatively poor stability statistics with test-retest scores within a range of +/-1, ranging from 82.7-86.9%. By contrast, all task items showed test-retest difference scores ranging from 92.5-99%, although further analysis indicated that four task subscale items increased significantly. Findings illustrated that correlational methods (Pearson product-moment, intraclass, and kappa) are influenced by the range in scores, and calculating the proportion of agreement of test-retest differences with a referent value of +/-1 could provide additional insight into the stability of the questionnaire. It is suggested that the item-by-item proportion of agreement method proposed by Nevill et al. (2001) should be used to supplement existing methods and could be especially helpful in identifying rogue items in the initial stages of psychometric questionnaire validation.

  4. Dysphagia in Multiple Sclerosis: Evaluation and Validation of the DYMUS Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Alali, Dalal; Ballard, Kirrie; Vucic, Steve; Bogaardt, Hans

    2018-06-01

    The 10-item Dysphagia in Multiple Sclerosis (DYMUS) questionnaire is a self-administered tool used to identify swallowing problems in adults with MS. The questionnaire was not validated against other existing questionnaires to assess its convergent validity. Moreover, its test-retest reliability was not measured previously. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to assess the factor analysis, internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the DYMUS, as well as its convergent validity against an established and validated questionnaire, the EAT-10. English-speaking adults with MS in New South Wales, Australia who were seen for routine medical check-ups were invited to complete two questionnaires across two phases. One hundred participants completed phase 1, while 55 completed phase 2. Statistical analyses were performed to investigate the psychometric properties of the DYMUS questionnaire. Internal consistency (Cronbach's Alpha) reduced the DYMUS questionnaire from ten to five items. The shortened version of the DYMUS showed high internal consistency (alpha = 0.904). It also showed satisfactory reproducibility, and adequate correlation with the 10-item Eating Assessment Tool (EAT-10). Evaluation of the DYMUS resulted in a shortened version of the questionnaire with five questions related to dysphagia. This shortened version is considered an easy and useful tool in identifying patients with MS-related dysphagia.

  5. Evaluation of the Intermittent Exotropia Questionnaire using Rasch analysis.

    PubMed

    Leske, David A; Holmes, Jonathan M; Melia, B Michele

    2015-04-01

    The Intermittent Exotropia Questionnaire (IXTQ) is a patient, proxy, and parental report of quality of life specific to children with intermittent exotropia. We refine the IXTQ using Rasch analysis to improve reliability and validity. Rasch analysis was performed on responses of 575 patients with intermittent exotropia enrolled from May 15, 2008, through July 24, 2013, and their parents from each of the 4 IXTQ health-related quality-of-life questionnaires (child 5 through 7 years of age and child 8 through 17 years of age, proxy, and parent questionnaires). Questionnaire performance and structure were confirmed in a separate cohort of 379 patients with intermittent exotropia. One item was removed from the 12-item child and proxy questionnaires, and response options in the 8- to 17-year-old child IXTQ and proxy IXTQ were combined into 3 response options for both questionnaires. Targeting was relatively poor for the child and proxy questionnaires. For the parent questionnaire, 3 subscales (psychosocial, function, and surgery) were evident. One item was removed from the psychosocial subscale. Resulting subscales had appropriate targeting. The Rasch-revised IXTQ may be a useful instrument for determining how intermittent exotropia affects health-related quality of life of children with intermittent exotropia and their parents, particularly for cohort studies.

  6. The development of 'Quality of Life Instrument for Indian Diabetes patients (QOLID): a validation and reliability study in middle and higher income groups.

    PubMed

    Nagpal, Jitender; Kumar, Arvind; Kakar, Sonia; Bhartia, Abhishek

    2010-05-01

    To develop a reliable and valid quality of life questionnaire for Indian patients with diabetes. A draft of 75 questions was prepared on the basis of expert opinion, focus group discussions, review of existing literature and detailed semi-structured interviews of patients with diabetes with the intention of including all aspects of diabetes-specific and quality of life considered relevant by patients and care providers to enable constrict validity. A Stage 2 questionnaire was then prepared with 13 domains and 54 items (questions) after expert panel review for obvious irrelevance and duplication of issues. It was administered to 150 participants visiting a diabetes center at New Delhi. Factor analysis was done using principal component method with varimax rotation. Reliability analysis was done by calculating Cronbach's Alpha. For evaluating concordant validity the questionnaire was co-administered with DQL-CTQ to 30 participants. The discriminant validity of the questionnaire was tested using 't' test for metabolic control, co-morbidities, insulin use and gender. Using principal component method 8 domains were identified on the basis of an apriori hypothesis and the scree plot. These 8 domains explained 49.9% of the total variation. 34 items (questions) were selected to represent these domains on the basis of extraction communality, factor loading, inter-item and item-total correlations. The final questionnaire has an Overall Cronbach's Alpha value of 0.894 (subscale- 0.55 to 0.85) showing high internal consistency. The questionnaire showed good concordance (product moment correlation 0.724; p = 0.001; subscale correlation - 0.457 to 0.779) with the DQL-CTQ. The overall standardized questionnaire score showed good responsiveness to metabolic control and co-morbidities establishing discriminant validity. The final version of questionnaire with 8 domains and 34 items is a reliable and valid tool for assessment of quality of life of Indian patients with diabetes.

  7. Construction of a web-based questionnaire for longitudinal investigation of work exposure, musculoskeletal pain and performance impairments in high-performance marine craft populations

    PubMed Central

    de Alwis, Manudul Pahansen; Äng, Björn Olov; Garme, Karl

    2017-01-01

    Objective High-performance marine craft personnel (HPMCP) are regularly exposed to vibration and repeated shock (VRS) levels exceeding maximum limitations stated by international legislation. Whereas such exposure reportedly is detrimental to health and performance, the epidemiological data necessary to link these adverse effects causally to VRS are not available in the scientific literature, and no suitable tools for acquiring such data exist. This study therefore constructed a questionnaire for longitudinal investigations in HPMCP. Methods A consensus panel defined content domains, identified relevant items and outlined a questionnaire. The relevance and simplicity of the questionnaire’s content were then systematically assessed by expert raters in three consecutive stages, each followed by revisions. An item-level content validity index (I-CVI) was computed as the proportion of experts rating an item as relevant and simple, and a scale-level content validity index (S-CVI/Ave) as the average I-CVI across items. The thresholds for acceptable content validity were 0.78 and 0.90, respectively. Finally, a dynamic web version of the questionnaire was constructed and pilot tested over a 1-month period during a marine exercise in a study population sample of eight subjects, while accelerometers simultaneously quantified VRS exposure. Results Content domains were defined as work exposure, musculoskeletal pain and human performance, and items were selected to reflect these constructs. Ratings from nine experts yielded S-CVI/Ave of 0.97 and 1.00 for relevance and simplicity, respectively, and the pilot test suggested that responses were sensitive to change in acceleration and that the questionnaire, following some adjustments, was feasible for its intended purpose. Conclusions A dynamic web-based questionnaire for longitudinal survey of key variables in HPMCP was constructed. Expert ratings supported that the questionnaire content is relevant, simple and sufficiently comprehensive, and the pilot test suggested that the questionnaire is feasible for longitudinal measurements in the study population. PMID:28729320

  8. Characterizing problematic hypoglycaemia: iterative design and preliminary psychometric validation of the Hypoglycaemia Awareness Questionnaire (HypoA-Q).

    PubMed

    Speight, J; Barendse, S M; Singh, H; Little, S A; Inkster, B; Frier, B M; Heller, S R; Rutter, M K; Shaw, J A M

    2016-03-01

    To design and conduct preliminary validation of a measure of hypoglycaemia awareness and problematic hypoglycaemia, the Hypoglycaemia Awareness Questionnaire. Exploratory and cognitive debriefing interviews were conducted with 17 adults (nine of whom were women) with Type 1 diabetes (mean ± sd age 48 ± 10 years). Questionnaire items were modified in consultation with diabetologists/psychologists. Psychometric validation was undertaken using data from 120 adults (53 women) with Type 1 diabetes (mean ± sd age 44 ± 16 years; 50% with clinically diagnosed impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia), who completed the following questionnaires: the Hypoglycaemia Awareness Questionnaire, the Gold score, the Clarke questionnaire and the Problem Areas in Diabetes questionnaire. Iterative design resulted in 33 items eliciting responses about awareness of hypoglycaemia when awake/asleep and hypoglycaemia frequency, severity and impact (healthcare utilization). Psychometric analysis identified three subscales reflecting 'impaired awareness', 'symptom level' and 'symptom frequency'. Convergent validity was indicated by strong correlations between the 'impaired awareness' subscale and existing measures of awareness: (Gold: rs =0.75, P < 0.01; Clarke: rs =0.76, P < 0.01). Divergent validity was indicated by weaker correlations with diabetes-related distress (Problem Areas in Diabetes: rs =0.25, P < 0.01) and HbA1c (rs =-0.05, non-significant). The 'impaired awareness' subscale and other items discriminated between those with impaired and intact awareness (Gold score). The 'impaired awareness' subscale and other items contributed significantly to models explaining the occurrence of severe hypoglycaemia and hypoglycaemia when asleep. This preliminary validation shows the Hypoglycaemia Awareness Questionnaire has robust face and content validity; satisfactory structure; internal reliability; convergent, divergent and known groups validity. The impaired awareness subscale and other items contribute significantly to models explaining recall of severe and nocturnal hypoglycaemia. Prospective validation, including determination of a threshold to identify impaired awareness, is now warranted. © 2015 The Authors. Diabetic Medicine © 2015 Diabetes UK.

  9. Phase III study of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer satisfaction with cancer care core questionnaire (EORTC PATSAT-C33) and specific complementary outpatient module (EORTC OUT-PATSAT7).

    PubMed

    Brédart, A; Anota, A; Young, T; Tomaszewski, K A; Arraras, J I; Moura De Albuquerque Melo, H; Schmidt, H; Friend, E; Bergenmar, M; Costantini, A; Vassiliou, V; Hureaux, J; Marchal, F; Tomaszewska, I M; Chie, W-C; Ramage, J; Beaudeau, A; Conroy, T; Bleiker, E; Kulis, D; Bonnetain, F; Aaronson, N K

    2018-01-01

    Advances in cancer care delivery require revision and further development of questionnaires assessing patients' perceived quality of care. This study pre-tested the revised EORTC satisfaction with cancer care core questionnaire applicable in both the cancer inpatient and outpatient settings, and its new, outpatient-specific complementary module. The process of revision, development of the extended application, and pre-testing of these questionnaires was based on phases I to III of the "EORTC Quality of Life Group Module Development Guidelines." In phase III, patients in 11 countries in four European regions, South America and Asia completed provisional versions of the questionnaires. Fifty-seven relevant issues selected from literature reviews and input from experts were operationalized into provisional items, and subsequently translated into ten languages. Assessment of understanding, acceptability, redundancy and relevance by patients (n = 151) from oncology inpatient wards, and outpatient chemotherapy, radiotherapy and consultation settings, led to retention of, deletion of and merging of 40, 14 and 6 items respectively. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for hypothesized questionnaire scales were above 0.80. Our results provide preliminary support for the 33-item EORTC Satisfaction with cancer care core questionnaire and the 7-item complementary module specific for the outpatient care setting. A large scale phase IV cross-cultural psychometric study is now underway. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  10. [Design and validation of a questionnaire for psychosocial nursing diagnosis in Primary Care].

    PubMed

    Brito-Brito, Pedro Ruymán; Rodríguez-Álvarez, Cristobalina; Sierra-López, Antonio; Rodríguez-Gómez, José Ángel; Aguirre-Jaime, Armando

    2012-01-01

    To develop a valid, reliable and easy-to-use questionnaire for a psychosocial nursing diagnosis. The study was performed in two phases: first phase, questionnaire design and construction; second phase, validity and reliability tests. A bank of items was constructed using the NANDA classification as a theoretical framework. Each item was assigned a Likert scale or dichotomous response. The combination of responses to the items constituted the diagnostic rules to assign up to 28 labels. A group of experts carried out the validity test for content. Other validated scales were used as reference standards for the criterion validity tests. Forty-five nurses provided the questionnaire to the patients on three separate occasions over a period of three weeks, and the other validated scales only once to 188 randomly selected patients in Primary Care centres in Tenerife (Spain). Validity tests for construct confirmed the six dimensions of the questionnaire with 91% of total variance explained. Validity tests for criterion showed a specificity of 66%-100%, and showed high correlations with the reference scales when the questionnaire was assigning nursing diagnoses. Reliability tests showed agreement of 56%-91% (P<.001), and a 93% internal consistency. The Questionnaire for Psychosocial Nursing Diagnosis was called CdePS, and included 61 items. The CdePS is a valid, reliable and easy-to-use tool in Primary Care centres to improve the assigning of a psychosocial nursing diagnosis. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier España, S.L. All rights reserved.

  11. Development and Validation of an Abbreviated Questionnaire to Easily Measure Cognitive Failure in ICU Survivors: A Multicenter Study.

    PubMed

    Wassenaar, Annelies; de Reus, Jorn; Donders, A Rogier T; Schoonhoven, Lisette; Cremer, Olaf L; de Lange, Dylan W; van Dijk, Diederik; Slooter, Arjen J C; Pickkers, Peter; van den Boogaard, Mark

    2018-01-01

    To develop and validate an abbreviated version of the Cognitive Failure Questionnaire that can be used by patients as part of self-assessment to measure functional cognitive outcome in ICU survivors. A retrospective multicenter observational study. The ICUs of two Dutch university hospitals. Adult ICU survivors. None. Cognitive functioning was evaluated between 12 and 24 months after ICU discharge using the full 25-item Cognitive Failure Questionnaire (CFQ-25). Incomplete CFQ-25 questionnaires were excluded from analysis. Forward selection in a linear regression model was used in hospital A to assess which of the CFQ-25 items should be included to prevent a significant loss of correlation between an abbreviated and the full CFQ-25. Subsequently, the performance of an abbreviated Cognitive Failure Questionnaire was determined in hospital B using Pearson's correlation. A Bland-Altman plot was used to examine whether the reduced-item outcome scores of an abbreviated Cognitive Failure Questionnaire were a replacement for the full CFQ-25 outcome scores. Among 1,934 ICU survivors, 1,737 were included, 819 in hospital A, 918 in hospital B. The Pearson's correlation between the abbreviated 14-item Cognitive Failure Questionnaire (CFQ-14) and the CFQ-25 was 0.99. The mean of the difference scores was -0.26, and 95% of the difference scores fell within +5 and -5.5 on a 100-point maximum score. It is feasible to use the abbreviated CFQ-14 to measure self-reported cognitive failure in ICU survivors as this questionnaire has a similar performance as the full CFQ-25.

  12. [The French translation and cultural adaptation of the SRI questionnaire. A questionnaire to assess health-related quality of life in patients with chronic respiratory failure and domiciliary ventilation].

    PubMed

    Cuvelier, A; Lamia, B; Molano, L-C; Muir, J-F; Windisch, W

    2012-05-01

    We performed the French translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Severe Respiratory Insufficiency (SRI) questionnaire. Written and validated in German, this questionnaire evaluates health-related quality of life in patients treated with domiciliary ventilation for chronic respiratory failure. Four bilingual German-French translators and a linguist were recruited to produce translations and back-translations of the questionnaire constituted of 49 items in seven domains. Two successive versions were generated and compared to the original questionnaire. The difficulty of the translation and the naturalness were quantified for each item using a 1-10 scale and their equivalence to their original counterpart was graded from A to C. The translated questionnaire was finally tested in a pilot study, which included 15 representative patients. The difficulty of the first translation and the first back-translation was respectively quantified as 2.5 (range 1-5.5) and 1.5 (range 1-6) on the 10-point scale (P=0.0014). The naturalness and the equivalence of 8/49 items were considered as insufficient, which led to the production of a second translation and a second back-translation. The meanings of two items needed clarification during the pilot study. The French translation of the SRI questionnaire represents a new instrument for clinical research in patients treated with domiciliary ventilation for chronic respiratory failure. Its validity needs to be tested in a multicenter study. Copyright © 2012 SPLF. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

  13. Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the autoimmune bullous disease quality of life (ABQOL) questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Yang, Baoqi; Chen, Guo; Yang, Qing; Yan, Xiaoxiao; Zhang, Zhaoxia; Murrell, Dédée F; Zhang, Furen

    2017-02-02

    The autoimmune bullous diseases quality of life (ABQOL) questionnaire was recently developed by an Australian group and has been validated in Australian and North American patient cohorts. It is a 17-item, multidimensional, self-administered English questionnaire. The study aimed to validate the Chinese version of the ABQOL questionnaire and evaluate the reliability in Chinese patients. The Chinese version of the ABQOL questionnaire was produced by forward-backward translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the original English version. The ABQOL questionnaire was then distributed to a total of 101 patients with autoimmune bullous diseases (AIBDs) together with the Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) and the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36). Validity was analyzed across a range of indices and reliability was assessed using internal consistency and test-retest methods. The Chinese version of the ABQOL questionnaire has a high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha coefficient, 0.88) and test-retest reliability (the intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.87). Face and content validity were satisfactory. Convergent validity testing showed that the correlation coefficients for the ABQOL and DLQI was 0.77 and for the ABQOL and SF-36 was -0.62. In terms of discriminant validity, there was no significant difference between the proportions of insensitive items in ABQOL and DLQI (p = 0.236). There was no significant difference between the proportions of insensitive items in ABQOL and SF-36 (p = 0.823). The Chinese version of the ABQOL questionnaire has adequate validity and reliability. It may constitute a useful instrument to measure disease burden in Chinese patients with AIBDs.

  14. Living Kidney Donation Questionnaire (PCID-DVR-Ríos): Validation and Psychometric Characteristics in a Spanish-Speaking Population.

    PubMed

    Ríos, A; López-Navas, A I; De-Francisco, C; Sánchez, Á; Hernández, A M; Ramírez, P; Parrilla, P

    2018-03-01

    The attitude toward living kidney donation is important for certain promotion campaigns, however, there are few validated questionnaires in this regard. The aim of this work was to analyze the psychometric characteristics of the attitudes questionnaire about living renal donation, PCID-DVR-Ríos (Cuestionario del Proyecto Colaborativo Internacional Donante sobre Donación de Vivo Renal [Questionnaire of the International Collaborative Donor Project on Living Kidney Donation] developed by Dr Ríos) for the validation of the questionnaire in population of Spanish speakers. The sample studied represented the population >18 years of age, native and resident of Spain, stratified by age and sex. The measurement instrument was the PCID-DVR-Ríos questionnaire. Analysis of data was structured in several stages: an initial description of the data, exploratory factor analysis, item analysis, and internal consistency of the factors. The questionnaire consists of 11 items, distributed in 3 factors of 6, 3, and 2 items. This structure accounts for 63.995% of the total variance. By factors, the variance is distributed as follows: factor 1: 38.461%; factor 2: 14.228%; and factor 3: 11.306%. The analysis of items and internal consistency supported the trifactorial composition. Each factor is internally consistent (α1 = .80; α2 = .70; α3 = .55). The analyzed dimensions of the PCID-DVR Ríos questionnaire to analyze attitude toward living kidney donation showed a good fit in terms of factorial validity and internal consistency values. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Modeling the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II using non-parametric item response models.

    PubMed

    Galindo-Garre, Francisca; Hidalgo, María Dolores; Guilera, Georgina; Pino, Oscar; Rojo, J Emilio; Gómez-Benito, Juana

    2015-03-01

    The World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHO-DAS II) is a multidimensional instrument developed for measuring disability. It comprises six domains (getting around, self-care, getting along with others, life activities and participation in society). The main purpose of this paper is the evaluation of the psychometric properties for each domain of the WHO-DAS II with parametric and non-parametric Item Response Theory (IRT) models. A secondary objective is to assess whether the WHO-DAS II items within each domain form a hierarchy of invariantly ordered severity indicators of disability. A sample of 352 patients with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder is used in this study. The 36 items WHO-DAS II was administered during the consultation. Partial Credit and Mokken scale models are used to study the psychometric properties of the questionnaire. The psychometric properties of the WHO-DAS II scale are satisfactory for all the domains. However, we identify a few items that do not discriminate satisfactorily between different levels of disability and cannot be invariantly ordered in the scale. In conclusion the WHO-DAS II can be used to assess overall disability in patients with schizophrenia, but some domains are too general to assess functionality in these patients because they contain items that are not applicable to this pathology. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  16. Household Food Security in Isfahan Based on Current Population Survey Adapted Questionnaire

    PubMed Central

    Rafiei, Morteza; Rastegari, Hosein Ali; Ghiasi, Mojdeh; Shahsanaie, Vahid

    2013-01-01

    Background: Food security is a state in which all people at every time have physical and economic access to adequate food to obviate nutritional needs and live a healthy and active life. Therefore, this study was performed to quantitatively evaluate the household food security in Esfahan using the localized version of US Household Food Security Survey Module (US HFSSM). Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was performed in year 2006 on 3000 households of Esfahan. The study instrument used in this work is 18-item US food security module, which is developed into a localized 15-item questionnaire. This study is performed in two stages of families with no children (under 18 years old) and families with children over 18 years old. Results: The results showed that item severity coefficient, ratio of responses given by households and item infit and outfit coefficient in adult's and children's questionnaire respectively. According to obtained data, scale score of +3 in adults group is described as determination limit of slight food insecurity and +6 is stated as the limit for severe food insecurity. For children's group, scale score of +2 is defined to be the limit of slight food insecurity and +5 is the determination limit of severe food insecurity. Conclusions: The main hypothesis of this survey analysis is based on the raw scale score of USFSSM The item of “lack of enough money for buying food” (item 2) and the item of “lack of balanced meal” (3rd item) have the lowest severity coefficient. Then, the ascending rate of item severity continues in first item, 4th item and keeps increasing into 10th item. PMID:24498498

  17. Validation of Gujarati Version of ABILOCO-Kids Questionnaire

    PubMed Central

    Diwan, Jasmin; Patel, Pankaj; Bansal, Ankita B.

    2015-01-01

    Background ABILOCO-Kids is a measure of locomotion ability for children with cerebral palsy (CP) aged 6 to 15 years & is available in English & French. Aim To validate the Gujarati version of ABILOCO-Kids questionnaire to be used in clinical research on Gujarati population. Materials and Methods ABILOCO-Kids questionnaire was translated into Gujarati from English using forward-backward-forward method. To ensure face & content validity of Gujarati version using group consensus method, each item was examined by group of experts having mean experience of 24.62 years in field of paediatric and paediatric physiotherapy. Each item was analysed for content, meaning, wording, format, ease of administration & scoring. Each item was scored by expert group as either accepted, rejected or accepted with modification. Procedure was continued until 80% of consensus for all items. Concurrent validity was examined on 55 children with Cerebral Palsy (6-15 years) of all Gross Motor Functional Classification System (GMFCS) level & all clinical types by correlating score of ABILOCO-Kids with Gross Motor Functional Measure & GMFCS. Result In phase 1 of validation, 16 items were accepted as it is; 22 items accepted with modification & 3 items went for phase 2 validation. For concurrent validity, highly significant positive correlation was found between score of ABILOCO-Kids & total GMFM (r=0.713, p<0.005) & highly significant negative correlation with GMFCS (r= -0.778, p<0.005). Conclusion Gujarati translated version of ABILOCO-Kids questionnaire has good face & content validity as well as concurrent validity which can be used to measure caregiver reported locomotion ability in children with CP. PMID:26557603

  18. The Measurement of Nuclear War Attitudes: Methods and Concerns.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Mayton, Daniel M., II

    Measures of adults' attitudes toward nuclear war are briefly discussed, and Mayton's Modified World Affairs Questionnaire (MWAQ) is described. The 23-item MWAQ was developed from Novak and Lerner's World Affairs Questionnaire, a nuclear war attitude measure by Mayton and Delamater, and related interview items by Jeffries. When the MWAQ was…

  19. Development of a Questionnaire Assessing School Physical Activity Environment

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Robertson-Wilson, Jennifer; Levesque, Lucie; Holden, Ronald R.

    2007-01-01

    This study was designed to develop the Questionnaire Assessing School Physical Activity Environment (Q--SPACE) based on student perceptions. Twenty-eight items rated on 4-point Likert scales were administered to 244 middle school students in 9 schools. Exploratory factor analysis was used to evaluate the underlying structure of the items and 2…

  20. Investigating Omani Science Teachers' Attitudes towards Teaching Science: The Role of Gender and Teaching Experiences

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Ambusaidi, Abdullah; Al-Farei, Khalid

    2017-01-01

    A 30-item questionnaire was designed to determine Omani science teachers' attitudes toward teaching science and whether or not these attitudes differ according to gender and teaching experiences of teachers. The questionnaire items were divided into 3 domains: classroom preparation, managing hands-on science, and development appropriateness. The…

  1. THE MEASUREMENT OF VOCATIONAL NEEDS. MINNESOTA STUDIES IN VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION, NUMBER 16.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    WEISS, DAVID J.; AND OTHERS

    TWO QUESTIONNAIRES FOR MEASURING VOCATIONAL NEEDS WERE DEVELOPED. NEED WAS DEFINED AS "NEED FOR SPECIFIED REINFORCING CONDITIONS IN THE WORK ENVIRONMENT." THE N-FACTORS QUESTIONNAIRE (NFQ) CONSISTED OF 48 TWO-RESPONSE CHOICE ITEMS, FOUR ITEMS FOR EACH OF 12 SCALES--ACHIEVEMENT, AUTHORITY, COWORKERS, CREATIVITY AND CHALLENGE, DEPENDENCE,…

  2. Development of a brief measure of generativity and ego-integrity for use in palliative care settings.

    PubMed

    Vuksanovic, Dean; Dyck, Murray; Green, Heather

    2015-10-01

    Our aim was to develop and test a brief measure of generativity and ego-integrity that is suitable for use in palliative care settings. Two measures of generativity and ego-integrity were modified and combined to create a new 11-item questionnaire, which was then administered to 143 adults. A principal-component analysis with oblique rotation was performed in order to identify underlying components that can best account for variation in the 11 questionnaire items. The two-component solution was consistent with the items that, on conceptual grounds, were intended to comprise the two constructs assessed by the questionnaire. Results suggest that the selected 11 items were good representatives of the larger scales from which they were selected, and they are expected to provide a useful means of measuring these concepts near the end of life.

  3. Development of the Attitudes to Domestic Violence Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents.

    PubMed

    Fox, Claire L; Gadd, David; Sim, Julius

    2015-09-01

    To provide a more robust assessment of the effectiveness of a domestic abuse prevention education program, a questionnaire was developed to measure children's attitudes to domestic violence. The aim was to develop a short questionnaire that would be easy to use for practitioners but, at the same time, sensitive enough to pick up on subtle changes in young people's attitudes. We therefore chose to ask children about different situations in which they might be willing to condone domestic violence. In Study 1, we tested a set of 20 items, which we reduced by half to a set of 10 items. The factor structure of the scale was explored and its internal consistency was calculated. In Study 2, we tested the factor structure of the 10-item Attitudes to Domestic Violence (ADV) Scale in a separate calibration sample. Finally, in Study 3, we then assessed the test-retest reliability of the 10-item scale. The ADV Questionnaire is a promising tool to evaluate the effectiveness of domestic abuse education prevention programs. However, further development work is necessary. © The Author(s) 2014.

  4. Measuring outcome from vestibular rehabilitation, part II: refinement and validation of a new self-report measure.

    PubMed

    Morris, Anna E; Lutman, Mark E; Yardley, Lucy

    2009-01-01

    A prototype self-report measure of vestibular rehabilitation outcome is described in a previous paper. The objectives of the present work were to identify the most useful items and assess their psychometric properties. Stage 1: One hundred fifty-five participants completed a prototype 36-item Vestibular Rehabilitation Benefit Questionnaire (VRBQ). Statistical analysis demonstrated its subscale structure and identified redundant items. Stage 2: One hundred twenty-four participants completed a refined 22-item VRBQ and three established questionnaires (Dizziness Handicap Inventory, DHI; Vertigo Symptom Scale short form, VSS-sf; Medical Outcomes Study short form 36, SF-36) in a longitudinal study. Statistical analysis revealed four internally consistent subscales of the VRBQ: Dizziness, Anxiety, Motion-Provoked Dizziness, and Quality of Life. Correlations with the DHI, VSS-sf, and SF-36 support the validity of the VRBQ, and effect size estimates suggest that the VRBQ is more responsive than comparable questionnaires. Twenty participants completed the VRBQ twice in a 24-hour period, indicating excellent test-retest reliability. The VRBQ appears to be a concise and psychometrically robust questionnaire that addresses the main aspects of dizziness impact.

  5. Leadership: validation of a self-report scale.

    PubMed

    Dussault, Marc; Frenette, Eric; Fernet, Claude

    2013-04-01

    The aim of this paper was to propose and test the factor structure of a new self-report questionnaire on leadership. A sample of 373 school principals in the Province of Quebec, Canada completed the initial 46-item version of the questionnaire. In order to obtain a questionnaire of minimal length, a four-step procedure was retained. First, items analysis was performed using Classical Test Theory. Second, Rasch analysis was used to identify non-fitting or overlapping items. Third, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using structural equation modelling was performed on the 21 remaining items to verify the factor structure of the scale. Results show that the model with a single third-order dimension (leadership), two second-order dimensions (transactional and transformational leadership), and one first-order dimension (laissez-faire leadership) provides a good fit to the data. Finally, invariance of factor structure was assessed with a second sample of 222 vice-principals in the Province of Quebec, Canada. This model is in agreement with the theoretical model developed by Bass (1985), upon which the questionnaire is based.

  6. Development of Physical Activity-Related Parenting Practices Scales for Urban Chinese Parents of Preschoolers: Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Reliability.

    PubMed

    Suen, Yi-Nam; Cerin, Ester; Barnett, Anthony; Huang, Wendy Y J; Mellecker, Robin R

    2017-09-01

    Valid instruments of parenting practices related to children's physical activity (PA) are essential to understand how parents affect preschoolers' PA. This study developed and validated a questionnaire of PA-related parenting practices for Chinese-speaking parents of preschoolers in Hong Kong. Parents (n = 394) completed a questionnaire developed using findings from formative qualitative research and literature searches. Test-retest reliability was determined on a subsample (n = 61). Factorial validity was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis. Subscale internal consistency was determined. The scale of parenting practices encouraging PA comprised 2 latent factors: Modeling, structure and participatory engagement in PA (23 items), and Provision of appropriate places for child's PA (4 items). The scale of parenting practices discouraging PA scale encompassed 4 latent factors: Safety concern/overprotection (6 items), Psychological/behavioral control (5 items), Promoting inactivity (4 items), and Promoting screen time (2 items). Test-retest reliabilities were moderate to excellent (0.58 to 0.82), and internal subscale reliabilities were acceptable (0.63 to 0.89). We developed a theory-based questionnaire for assessing PA-related parenting practices among Chinese-speaking parents of Hong Kong preschoolers. While some items were context and culture specific, many were similar to those previously found in other populations, indicating a degree of construct generalizability across cultures.

  7. Assessing self-efficacy to reduce one's drinking: further evaluation of the Alcohol Reduction Strategies-Current Confidence questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Kraus, Shane W; Rosenberg, Harold; Bonar, Erin E; Hoffmann, Erica; Kryszak, Elizabeth; Young, Kathleen M; Ashrafioun, Lisham; Bannon, Erin E

    2012-01-01

    To evaluate the psychometric properties of a previously published questionnaire designed to assess young drinkers' self-efficacy to employ 31 cognitive-behavioral alcohol reduction strategies. Undergraduates (n = 353) recruited from a large Midwestern university completed the previously published Alcohol Reduction Strategies-Current Confidence questionnaire (and other measures) for a self-selected heavy drinking setting. Item loadings from a principal components analysis, a high internal consistency reliability coefficient, and a moderate mean inter-item correlation suggested that all 31 items comprised a single scale. Correlations of questionnaire scores with selected aspects of drinking history and personality provided support for criterion and discriminant validity, respectively. Women reported higher current confidence to use these strategies than did men, but current confidence did not vary as a function of recent binge status. Given this further demonstration of its psychometric qualities, this questionnaire holds promise as a clinical tool to identify clients who lack confidence in their ability to employ cognitive-behavioral coping strategies to reduce their drinking.

  8. The Utrecht questionnaire (U-CEP) measuring knowledge on clinical epidemiology proved to be valid.

    PubMed

    Kortekaas, Marlous F; Bartelink, Marie-Louise E L; de Groot, Esther; Korving, Helen; de Wit, Niek J; Grobbee, Diederick E; Hoes, Arno W

    2017-02-01

    Knowledge on clinical epidemiology is crucial to practice evidence-based medicine. We describe the development and validation of the Utrecht questionnaire on knowledge on Clinical epidemiology for Evidence-based Practice (U-CEP); an assessment tool to be used in the training of clinicians. The U-CEP was developed in two formats: two sets of 25 questions and a combined set of 50. The validation was performed among postgraduate general practice (GP) trainees, hospital trainees, GP supervisors, and experts. Internal consistency, internal reliability (item-total correlation), item discrimination index, item difficulty, content validity, construct validity, responsiveness, test-retest reliability, and feasibility were assessed. The questionnaire was externally validated. Internal consistency was good with a Cronbach alpha of 0.8. The median item-total correlation and mean item discrimination index were satisfactory. Both sets were perceived as relevant to clinical practice. Construct validity was good. Both sets were responsive but failed on test-retest reliability. One set took 24 minutes and the other 33 minutes to complete, on average. External GP trainees had comparable results. The U-CEP is a valid questionnaire to assess knowledge on clinical epidemiology, which is a prerequisite for practicing evidence-based medicine in daily clinical practice. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Evaluating the validity of the Work Role Functioning Questionnaire (Canadian French version) using classical test theory and item response theory.

    PubMed

    Hong, Quan Nha; Coutu, Marie-France; Berbiche, Djamal

    2017-01-01

    The Work Role Functioning Questionnaire (WRFQ) was developed to assess workers' perceived ability to perform job demands and is used to monitor presenteeism. Still few studies on its validity can be found in the literature. The purpose of this study was to assess the items and factorial composition of the Canadian French version of the WRFQ (WRFQ-CF). Two measurement approaches were used to test the WRFQ-CF: Classical Test Theory (CTT) and non-parametric Item Response Theory (IRT). A total of 352 completed questionnaires were analyzed. A four-factor and three-factor model models were tested and shown respectively good fit with 14 items (Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) = 0.06, Standardized Root Mean Square Residual (SRMR) = 0.04, Bentler Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.98) and with 17 items (RMSEA = 0.059, SRMR = 0.048, CFI = 0.98). Using IRT, 13 problematic items were identified, of which 9 were common with CTT. This study tested different models with fewer problematic items found in a three-factor model. Using a non-parametric IRT and CTT for item purification gave complementary results. IRT is still scarcely used and can be an interesting alternative method to enhance the quality of a measurement instrument. More studies are needed on the WRFQ-CF to refine its items and factorial composition.

  10. Development of the multiple sclerosis (MS) early mobility impairment questionnaire (EMIQ).

    PubMed

    Ziemssen, Tjalf; Phillips, Glenn; Shah, Ruchit; Mathias, Adam; Foley, Catherine; Coon, Cheryl; Sen, Rohini; Lee, Andrew; Agarwal, Sonalee

    2016-10-01

    The Early Mobility Impairment Questionnaire (EMIQ) was developed to facilitate early identification of mobility impairments in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. We describe the initial development of the EMIQ with a focus on the psychometric evaluation of the questionnaire using classical and item response theory methods. The initial 20-item EMIQ was constructed by clinical specialists and qualitatively tested among people with MS and physicians via cognitive interviews. Data from an observational study was used to make additional updates to the instrument based on exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and item response theory (IRT) analysis, and psychometric analyses were performed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the final instrument's scores and screening properties (i.e., sensitivity and specificity). Based on qualitative interview analyses, a revised 15-item EMIQ was included in the observational study. EFA, IRT and item-to-item correlation analyses revealed redundant items which were removed leading to the final nine-item EMIQ. The nine-item EMIQ performed well with respect to: test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.858); internal consistency (α = 0.893); convergent validity; and known-groups methods for construct validity. A cut-point of 41 on the 0-to-100 scale resulted in sufficient sensitivity and specificity statistics for viably identifying patients with mobility impairment. The EMIQ is a content valid and psychometrically sound instrument for capturing MS patients' experience with mobility impairments in a clinical practice setting. Additional research is suggested to further confirm the EMIQ's screening properties over time.

  11. The development and validation of a questionnaire to measure the clinical learning environment for undergraduate dental students (DECLEI).

    PubMed

    Kossioni, A E; Lyrakos, G; Ntinalexi, I; Varela, R; Economu, I

    2014-05-01

    The aim of this study was to develop and validate according to psychometric standards a self-administered instrument to measure the students' self-perceptions of the undergraduate clinical dental environment (DECLEI). The initial questionnaire was developed using feedback from dental students, experts' opinion and an extensive literature review. Critical incident technique (CIT) analysis was used to generate items and identify domains. Thirty clinical dental students participated in a pilot validation that generated a 67-item questionnaire. To develop a shorter and more practical version of the instrument, DECLEI-67 was distributed to 153 clinical students at the University of Athens and its English version to 51 students from various dental schools, attending the 2012 European Dental Students Association meeting. This final procedure aimed to select items, identify subscales and measure internal consistency and discriminant validity. A total of 202 students returned the questionnaires (response rate 99%). The final instrument included 24 items divided into three subscales: (i) organisation and learning opportunities, (ii) professionalism and communication and (iii) satisfaction and commitment to the dental studies. Cronbach's α for the total questionnaire was 0.89. The interscale correlations ranged from 0.39 to 0.48. The instrument identified differences related to school of origin, age and duration of clinical experience. An interpretation of the scores (range 0–100) has been proposed. The 24-item DECLEI seemed to be a practical and valid instrument to measure a dental school's undergraduate clinical learning environment.

  12. The pornography craving questionnaire: psychometric properties.

    PubMed

    Kraus, Shane; Rosenberg, Harold

    2014-04-01

    Despite the prevalence of pornography use, and recent conceptualization of problematic use as an addiction, we could find no published scale to measure craving for pornography. Therefore, we conducted three studies employing young male pornography users to develop and evaluate such a questionnaire. In Study 1, we had participants rate their agreement with 20 potential craving items after reading a control script or a script designed to induce craving to watch pornography. We dropped eight items because of low endorsement. In Study 2, we revised both the questionnaire and cue exposure stimuli and then evaluated several psychometric properties of the modified questionnaire. Item loadings from a principal components analysis, a high internal consistency reliability coefficient, and a moderate mean inter-item correlation supported interpreting the 12 revised items as a single scale. Correlations of craving scores with preoccupation with pornography, sexual history, compulsive internet use, and sensation seeking provided support for convergent validity, criterion validity, and discriminant validity, respectively. The enhanced imagery script did not impact reported craving; however, more frequent users of pornography reported higher craving than less frequent users regardless of script condition. In Study 3, craving scores demonstrated good one-week test-retest reliability and predicted the number of times participants used pornography during the following week. This questionnaire could be applied in clinical settings to plan and evaluate therapy for problematic users of pornography and as a research tool to assess the prevalence and contextual triggers of craving among different types of pornography users.

  13. The feeding practices and structure questionnaire: construction and initial validation in a sample of Australian first-time mothers and their 2-year olds

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Early feeding practices lay the foundation for children’s eating habits and weight gain. Questionnaires are available to assess parental feeding but overlapping and inconsistent items, subscales and terminology limit conceptual clarity and between study comparisons. Our aim was to consolidate a range of existing items into a parsimonious and conceptually robust questionnaire for assessing feeding practices with very young children (<3 years). Methods Data were from 462 mothers and children (age 21–27 months) from the NOURISH trial. Items from five questionnaires and two study-specific items were submitted to a priori item selection, allocation and verification, before theoretically-derived factors were tested using Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Construct validity of the new factors was examined by correlating these with child eating behaviours and weight. Results Following expert review 10 factors were specified. Of these, 9 factors (40 items) showed acceptable model fit and internal reliability (Cronbach’s α: 0.61-0.89). Four factors reflected non-responsive feeding practices: ‘Distrust in Appetite’, ‘Reward for Behaviour’, ‘Reward for Eating’, and ‘Persuasive Feeding’. Five factors reflected structure of the meal environment and limits: ‘Structured Meal Setting’, ‘Structured Meal Timing’, ‘Family Meal Setting’, ‘Overt Restriction’ and ‘Covert Restriction’. Feeding practices generally showed the expected pattern of associations with child eating behaviours but none with weight. Conclusion The Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire (FPSQ) provides a new reliable and valid measure of parental feeding practices, specifically maternal responsiveness to children’s hunger/satiety signals facilitated by routine and structure in feeding. Further validation in more diverse samples is required. PMID:24898364

  14. Study deviance-type scale in the development of Korean elder

    PubMed Central

    Cho, Gun-Sang; Yi, Eun-Surk; Hwang, Hee-Jeong

    2015-01-01

    This research aims to develop a questionnaire of deviant behavior for the Korean elderly people which may make a big contribution to the examination of deviance behavior of the elderly people and may play an important role in providing a methodological basis. In order to accomplish the purpose of the this study, there were three different stages; (a) making preliminary question items, (b) refining the items of the scale through a plot study, and (c) finalizing question items by a main survey. In the first stage, 43 question items were developed using the open-ended questionnaire and structural inquiry of succession from 137 elderly people who are over 65 yr. In the second phase, based on data collected by the 200 elderly people pilot testing was performed through exploratory factor analysis and reliability test. The scale is a 27-item self-report questionnaire. In the main survey conducted by 184 elderly people, 21 items, which consisted of four subfactors, were finalized in order to measure deviance behaviors of the Korean elderly people: social deviance (n=8), economic deviance (n=5), psychological deviance (n=5), and physical deviance (n=3). PMID:26730382

  15. A cross-cultural study to assess measurement invariance of the KIDSCREEN-27 questionnaire across Serbian and Iranian children and adolescents.

    PubMed

    Stevanovic, Dejan; Jafari, Peyman

    2015-01-01

    The KIDSCREEN questionnaire for health-related quality of life (HRQOL) assessments in children and adolescents was simultaneously developed across 13 European countries, and it was subsequently translated and culturally adapted to over 30 different languages across the world. The aim of this study was to evaluate the measurement equivalence of the KIDSCREEN-27 across Serbian and Iranian children and adolescents. The items in the KIDSCREEN-27 were analyzed for differential item functioning (DIF) across Iranian and Serbian populations using ordinal logistic regression with three different criteria. The sample included 330 Iranian and 329 Serbian children and adolescents and 330 and 314 of their parents, respectively. Across the two samples, DIF was detected in 16 (59 %) of 27 items in the child self-reports and in 20 (74 %) of 27 items in the parent/proxy report. However, using alternative criteria based on magnitude detected for DIF, only three items in the parent/proxy report showed significant DIF. Our study provided more evidence that the KIDSCREEN-27 possesses DIF items across different cultures, but their impact is probably small, and the questionnaire could be used for cross-cultural HRQOL comparisons.

  16. The Mediating Role of Mental Health in the Relations between Dietary Behaviors and General Health: A Cross-sectional Study

    PubMed Central

    Nematollahi, Shahrzad; Keshteli, Ammar Hassanzadeh; Esmaillzadeh, Ahmad; Roohafza, Hamidreza; Afshar, Hamid; Adibi, Peyman; Maracy, Mohammad Reza

    2017-01-01

    Background: The aim of this study is to find a pathway to explaining the relations between dietary behaviors with mental health and psychological functioning. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study contains 4763 participants from the employees of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. In this study, four questionnaires were administered which were provided as follows: demographic characteristics, 21-item dietary behaviors questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale questionnaire, and 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). We started the analysis with the structural equation modeling (SEM) model with 4 unobserved latent and 16 observed variables. Results: The results show that the regression coefficient (standard error) of diet behavior on mental health and mental health on GHQ were − 1 (0.37) and 0.02 (0.01) with their P values as 0.007 and 0.01, respectively. For this model, the estimated root mean square error of approximation is 0.062 with 90% confidence interval of (0.060–0.065). In addition, the comparative fit indices (CFIs) were as 0.866 for incremental fit index and 0.866 for CFI. All these indices represent fairly good fit of the model to the data. Conclusion: We can conclude that “lower scores on diet behavior – higher scores on mental health problems” and “higher mean scores in depression and/or anxiety – higher scores in GHQ domains.” The SEM results showed that dietary behaviors have significance related to depression and/or anxiety and general health status. PMID:28349024

  17. [Developing a predictive model for the caregiver strain index].

    PubMed

    Álvarez-Tello, Margarita; Casado-Mejía, Rosa; Praena-Fernández, Juan Manuel; Ortega-Calvo, Manuel

    Patient homecare with multiple morbidities is an increasingly common occurrence. The caregiver strain index is tool in the form of questionnaire that is designed to measure the perceived burden of those who care for their families. The aim of this study is to construct a diagnostic nomogram of informal caregiver burden using data from a predictive model. The model was drawn up using binary logistic regression and the questionnaire items as dichotomous factors. The dependent variable was the final score obtained with the questionnaire but categorised in accordance with that in the literature. Scores between 0 and 6 were labelled as "no" (no caregiver stress) and at or greater than 7 as "yes". The version 3.1.1R statistical software was used. To construct confidence intervals for the ROC curve 2000 boot strap replicates were used. A sample of 67 caregivers was obtained. A diagnosing nomogram was made up with its calibration graph (Brier scaled = 0.686, Nagelkerke R 2 =0.791), and the corresponding ROC curve (area under the curve=0.962). The predictive model generated using binary logistic regression and the nomogram contain four items (1, 4, 5 and 9) of the questionnaire. R plotting functions allow a very good solution for validating a model like this. The area under the ROC curve (0.96; 95% CI: 0.994-0.941) achieves a high discriminative value. Calibration also shows high goodness of fit values, suggesting that it may be clinically useful in community nursing and geriatric establishments. Copyright © 2015 SEGG. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  18. Reliability and validity assessment of gastrointestinal dystemperaments questionnaire: a novel scale in Persian traditional medicine

    PubMed Central

    Hoseinzadeh, Hamidreza; Taghipour, Ali; Yousefi, Mahdi

    2018-01-01

    Background Development of a questionnaire based on the resources of Persian traditional medicine seems necessary. One of the problems faced by practitioners of traditional medicine is the different opinions regarding the diagnosis of general temperament or temperament of member. One of the reasons is the lack of validity tools, and it has led to difficulties in training the student of traditional medicine and the treatment of patients. The differences in the detection methods, have given rise to several treatment methods. Objective The present study aimed to develop a questionnaire and standard software for diagnosis of gastrointestinal dystemperaments. Methods The present research is a tool developing study which included 8 stages of developing the items, determining the statements based on items, assessing the face validity, assessing the content validity, assessing the reliability, rating the items, developing a software for calculation of the total score of the questionnaire named GDS v.1.1, and evaluating the concurrent validity using statistical tests including Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, Cohen’s kappa coefficient. Results Based on the results, 112 notes including 62 symptoms were extracted from resources, and 58 items were obtained from in-person interview sessions with a panel of experts. A statement was selected for each item and, after merging a number of statements, a total of 49 statements were finally obtained. By calculating the score of statement impact and determining the content validity, respectively, 6 and 10 other items were removed from the list of statements. Standardized Cronbach’s alpha for this questionnaire was obtained 0.795 and its concurrent validity was equal to 0.8. Conclusion A quantitative tool was developed for diagnosis and examination of gastrointestinal dystemperaments. The developed questionnaire is adequately reliable and valid for this purpose. In addition, the software can be used for clinical diagnosis. PMID:29629060

  19. The Development of a Nystagmus-Specific Quality-of-Life Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    McLean, Rebecca J; Maconachie, Gail D E; Gottlob, Irene; Maltby, John

    2016-09-01

    To develop a nystagmus-specific quality-of-life (QOL) questionnaire derived from patient concerns based on eudaimonic aspects of well-being. Cross-sectional study. A total of 206 participants with nystagmus for factor analysis phase and an additional 42 participants with nystagmus for construct validity phase. Questionnaire items were written on the basis of the 6 domains of everyday living affected by nystagmus that were elicited by previous semistructured interviews conducted with 21 people with nystagmus. After consultation with 8 nystagmus experts, 37 items were administered to 206 people with nystagmus. Factor analysis was used to identify latent factors among the items and identify items to propose new nystagmus QOL scales. Cronbach's alpha was used to assess the internal reliability of the new scales. To assess for discriminate and concurrent validity between the new nystagmus scales and an existing vision-related QOL tool, the Visual Function Questionnaire-25 (VFQ-25) was administered to 42 additional participants. Questionnaire response scores on nystagmus-specific QOL items. The factor analysis revealed the retention of 29 items to form a measure comprising 2 distinct subscales reflecting "personal and social" and "physical and environmental" functioning as relating to nystagmus-specific QOL. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the "personal and social" functioning scale and "physical and environmental" functioning were 0.95 and 0.93, respectively. Tests for validity of the measure, consistent with a priori predictions, when compared with the VFQ-25, revealed the "physical and environmental" subscale showed concurrent validity (0.88), whereas the "personal and social" subscale was demonstrated to have discriminative validity (0.81). We have developed a 29-item, nystagmus-specific QOL questionnaire (NYS-29) based on eudaimonic aspects of well-being with subscales that address not only physical functioning but also psycho-social issues. The NYS-29 is grounded in the perspectives and concerns of those who have nystagmus and can be used to determine the impact of nystagmus on daily living in terms of both physical and psychosocial aspects. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Patient-reported questionnaires in MS rehabilitation: responsiveness and minimal important difference of the multiple sclerosis questionnaire for physiotherapists (MSQPT).

    PubMed

    van der Maas, Nico Arie

    2017-03-16

    The Multiple Sclerosis Questionnaire for Physical Therapists (MSQPT) is a patient-rated outcome questionnaire for evaluating the rehabilitation of persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). Responsiveness was evaluated, and minimal important difference (MID) estimates were calculated to provide thresholds for clinical change for four items, three sections and the total score of the MSQPT. This multicentre study used a combined distribution- and anchor-based approach with multiple anchors and multiple rating of change questions. Responsiveness was evaluated using effect size, standardized response mean (SRM), modified SRM and relative efficiency. For distribution-based MID estimates, 0.2 and 0.33 standard deviations (SD), standard error of measurement (SEM) and minimal detectable change were used . Triangulation of anchor- and distribution-based MID estimates provided a range of MID values for each of the four items, the three sections and the total score of the MSQPT. The MID values were tested for their sensitivity and specificity for amelioration and deterioration for each of the four items, the three sections and the total score of the MSQPT. The MID values of each item and section and of the total score with the best sensitivity and specificity were selected as thresholds for clinical change. The outcome measures were the MSQPT, Hamburg Quality of Life Questionnaire for Multiple Sclerosis (HAQUAMS), rating of change questionnaires, Expanded Disability Status Scale, 6-metre timed walking test, Berg Balance Scale and 6-minute walking test. The effect size ranged from 0.46 to 1.49. The SRM data showed comparable results. The modified SRM ranged from 0.00 to 0.60. Anchor-based MID estimates were very low and were comparable with SD- and SEM-based estimates. The MSQPT was more responsive than the HAQUAMS in detecting improvement but less responsive in finding deterioration. The best MID estimates of the items, sections and total score, expressed in percentage of their maximum score, were between 5.4% (activity) and 22% (item 10) change for improvement and between 5.7% (total score) and 22% (item 10) change for deterioration. The MSQPT is a responsive questionnaire with an adequate MID that may be used as threshold for change during rehabilitation of MS patients. This trial was retrospectively (01/24/2015) registered in ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT02346279.

  1. Test-retest reliability of an infectious disease questionnaire and evaluation of self-assessed vulnerability to infections : findings of Pretest 2 of the German National Cohort.

    PubMed

    Castell, S; Akmatov, M K; Obi, N; Flesh-Janys, D; Nieters, A; Kemmling, Y; Pessler, F; Krause, G

    2014-11-01

    Large scale population-based studies focusing on infectious diseases are scarce. This may be explained by methodological obstacles concerning ascertainment of data on infectious diseases requiring, e.g. collection of data on relatively short-termed symptoms and/or collection of biosamples for pathogen identification during a narrow time window. In the German National Cohort (GNC), a novel self-administered questionnaire will be used in addition to biosampling to collect data on selected infectious diseases and symptoms. The aim of this study was to evaluate in Pretest 2 of the GNC newly added items on self-assessed vulnerability to several infectious diseases and to assess test-retest reliability of the questionnaire. The study was conducted in two study centres (Hamburg and Hanover) during Pretest 2 of the GNC. A self-administered paper questionnaire was applied. In Hamburg, participants were asked to fill in the questionnaire during their regular visit at the study centre. For test-retest reliability, participants in Hanover filled in the same questionnaire at home twice. To evaluate agreement, item-related percentage agreement and kappa (κ) were calculated. In addition, we computed Bennet's S and Krippendorf's alpha (α). Items on self-assessed vulnerability to infections were evaluated by comparing them with the corresponding self-reported frequency of infections. An explanatory factor analysis was applied to construct the scores of self-reported infection frequency and self-assessed vulnerability to infections. The evaluation of the internal consistency of the five-item instrument of self-assessed vulnerability to infections resulted in a Cronbach's α of 0.78. The factor analysis yielded evidence of one factor. The factor was divided into three groups (lowest quintile classified as "less prone to infections" compared to peers; second, middle and fourth quintiles classified as "similarly prone to infections" and highest quintile classified as "more prone to infections"). Participants classified as "less prone to infections" reported fewer infections than participants classified as "more prone to infections". Spearman's correlation of the two scores (self-reported infection frequency and self-assessed vulnerability to infection) was 0.50 (p < 0.0001). For quantifying reliability, 88 participants with a median time of 8 days between filling in both questionnaires could be included in the analysis; for items sensitive to disease occurrence between both questionnaires only participants with no relevant disease in this time interval were included (n = 75). The weighted κ ranged between 0.65 and 0.87 for the items on infectious disease frequency in the last 12 months, for items on symptom frequency in the past 12 months between 0.77 and 0.90, and for items on vulnerability compared to peers between 0.68 and 0.76. A five-item instrument on self-assessed vulnerability to infections seems to be promising, but requires further evaluation. Overall, the questionnaire on self-reported infectious diseases used in Pretest 2 of the GNC is a moderately reliable instrument and, thus, can be applied in future studies on infectious diseases.

  2. Personality in general and clinical samples: Measurement invariance of the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Eigenhuis, Annemarie; Kamphuis, Jan H; Noordhof, Arjen

    2017-09-01

    A growing body of research suggests that the same general dimensions can describe normal and pathological personality, but most of the supporting evidence is exploratory. We aim to determine in a confirmatory framework the extent to which responses on the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ) are identical across general and clinical samples. We tested the Dutch brief form of the MPQ (MPQ-BF-NL) for measurement invariance across a general population subsample (N = 365) and a clinical sample (N = 365), using Multiple Group Confirmatory Factor Analysis (MGCFA) and Multiple Group Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (MGESEM). As an omnibus personality test, the MPQ-BF-NL revealed strict invariance, indicating absence of bias. Unidimensional per scale tests for measurement invariance revealed that 10% of items appeared to contain bias across samples. Item bias only affected the scale interpretation of Achievement, with individuals from the clinical sample more readily admitting to put high demands on themselves than individuals from the general sample, regardless of trait level. This formal test of equivalence provides strong evidence for the common structure of normal and pathological personality and lends further support to the clinical utility of the MPQ. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

  3. Acceptability of a theory of planned behaviour email-based nutrition intervention.

    PubMed

    Kothe, E J; Mullan, B A

    2014-03-01

    This study investigated feasibility and acceptability of a new email-delivered intervention promoting fruit and vegetable consumption in a university-based population of Australian young adults. The study explored whether there are differences in the reported feasibility and acceptability between demographic groups within the population of interest and at three levels of intervention intensity. The email-delivered intervention program consists of an implementation intention 'planning task' and between 3 and 15 short email messages over a 15-day study period. The intervention program was developed using the Theory of Planned Behaviour and was designed to modify perceived behavioural control. One hundred and ten participants (mean age = 19.21 years, 25.6% male) completed the feasibility and acceptability questionnaire at Day 15. This questionnaire contained items about all intervention components. High acceptability and feasibility scores were found for all intervention parts and at all levels of intervention intensity. There were few significant differences in the reported acceptability of items between key demographic sub-groups, and no differences in reported acceptability at different levels of intervention intensity. These results suggest that this email-delivered intervention is an acceptable and feasible tool for promoting fruit and vegetable consumption for participants in the target population.

  4. A survey of tobacco dependence treatment guidelines in 121 countries

    PubMed Central

    Piné-Abata, Hembadoon; McNeill, Ann; Raw, Martin; Bitton, Asaf; Rigotti, Nancy; Murray, Rachael

    2013-01-01

    Aims To report progress among Parties to the World Health Organization (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in developing national tobacco treatment guidelines in accordance with FCTC Article 14 guideline recommendations. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Electronic survey from December 2011 to August 2012; participants were asked to complete either an online or attached Microsoft Word questionnaire. Participants One hundred and sixty-three of the 173 Parties to the FCTC at the time of our survey. Measurements The 51-item questionnaire contained 30 items specifically on guidelines. Questions covered the areas of guidelines writing process, content, key recommendations and other characteristics. Findings One hundred and twenty-one countries (73%) responded. Fifty-three countries (44%) had guidelines, ranging from 75% among high-income countries to 11% among low-income countries. Nearly all guidelines recommended brief advice (93%), intensive specialist support (93%) and medications (96%), while 66% recommended quitlines. Fifty-seven percent had a dissemination strategy, 76% stated funding source and 68% had professional endorsement. Conclusion Fewer than half of the Parties to the WHO FCTC have developed national tobacco treatment guidelines, but, where guidelines exist, they broadly follow FCTC Article 14 guideline recommendations. PMID:23437892

  5. A comparison of data quality and practicality of online versus postal questionnaires in a sample of testicular cancer survivors.

    PubMed

    Smith, Allan Ben; King, Madeleine; Butow, Phyllis; Olver, Ian

    2013-01-01

    We aimed to compare data quality from online and postal questionnaires and to evaluate the practicality of these different questionnaire modes in a cancer sample. Participants in a study investigating the psychosocial sequelae of testicular cancer could choose to complete a postal or online version of the study questionnaire. Data quality was evaluated by assessing sources of nonobservational errors such as participant nonresponse, item nonresponse and sampling bias. Time taken and number of reminders required for questionnaire return were used as indicators of practicality. Participant nonresponse was significantly higher among participants who chose the postal questionnaire. The proportion of questionnaires with missing items and the mean number of missing items did not differ significantly by mode. A significantly larger proportion of tertiary-educated participants and managers/professionals completed the online questionnaire. There were no significant differences in age, relationship status, employment status, country of birth or language spoken by completion mode. Compared with postal questionnaires, online questionnaires were returned significantly more quickly and required significantly fewer reminders. These results demonstrate that online questionnaire completion can be offered in a cancer sample without compromising data quality. In fact, data quality from online questionnaires may be superior due to lower rates of participant nonresponse. Investigators should be aware of potential sampling bias created by more highly educated participants and managers/professionals choosing to complete online questionnaires. Besides this issue, online questionnaires offer an efficient method for collecting high-quality data, with faster return and fewer reminders. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  6. Specialty Training's Organizational Readiness for curriculum Change (STORC): development of a questionnaire in a Delphi study.

    PubMed

    Bank, Lindsay; Jippes, Mariëlle; van Luijk, Scheltus; den Rooyen, Corry; Scherpbier, Albert; Scheele, Fedde

    2015-08-05

    In postgraduate medical education (PGME), programs have been restructured according to competency-based frameworks. The scale and implications of these adjustments justify a comprehensive implementation plan. Organizational Readiness for Change (ORC) is seen as a critical precursor for a successful implementation of change initiatives. Though, ORC in health care settings is mostly assessed in small scale settings and in relation to new policies and practices rather than educational change. Therefore our aim with this work was to develop an instrument to asses Specialty Training's Organizational Readiness for curriculum Change (STORC). A Delphi procedure was conducted to examine the applicability of a preliminary questionnaire in PGME, which was based on existing instruments designed for business and health care organizations. The 41 panellists (19 trainees and 22 supervisors from 6 specialties) from four different countries who were confronted with an apparent curriculum change, or would be in the near future, were asked to rate the relevance of a 89-item web-based questionnaire with regard to changes in specialty training on a 5-point Likert scale. Furthermore, they were invited to make qualitative comments on the items. In two rounds the 89-item preliminary questionnaire was reduced to 44 items. Items were either removed, kept, adapted or added based on individual item scores and qualitative comments. In the absence of a gold standard, this Delphi procedure was considered complete when the overall questionnaire rating exceeded 4.0 (scale 0-5). The overall item score reached 4.1 in the second round, meeting our criteria for completion of this Delphi procedure. This Delphi study describes the initial validating step in the development of an instrument to asses Specialty Training's Organisational Readiness for curriculum Change (STORC). Since ORC is measured on various subscales and presented as such, its strength lies in analysing these subscales. The latter makes it possible for educational leaders to identify and anticipate on hurdles in the implementation process and subsequently optimize efforts for successful curriculum change.

  7. Development of a self-assessment tool for measuring competences of obstetric nurses in rooming-in wards in China

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Ju; Ye, Wenqin; Fan, Fan

    2015-01-01

    Introduction: To provide high-quality nursing care, a reliable and feasible competency assessment tool is critical. Although several questionnaire-based competency assessment tools have been reported, a tool specific for obstetric nurses in rooming-in wards is lacking. Therefore, the purpose of this research is to develop a competency assessment tool for obstetric rooming-in ward nurses. Methods: A literature review was conducted to create an individual intensive interview with 14 nurse managers, educators, and primary nurses in rooming-in wards. Expert reviews (n = 15) were conducted to identify emergent themes in a Delphi fashion. A competency assessment questionnaire was then developed and tested with 246 rooming-in ward nurses in local hospitals. Results: We constructed a three-factor linear model for obstetric rooming-in nurse competency assessment. Further refinement resulted in a self-assessment questionnaire containing three first-tier, 12 second-tier, and 43 third-tier items for easy implementation. The questionnaire was reliable, contained satisfactory content, and had construct validity. Discussion: Our competency assessment tool provides a systematic, easy, and operational subjective evaluation model for nursing managers and administrators to evaluate obstetric rooming-in ward primary nurses. The application of this tool will facilitate various human resources functions, such as nurse training/education effect evaluation, and will eventually promote high-quality nursing care delivery. PMID:26770468

  8. Development and Validation of the Questionnaire of Vaping Craving.

    PubMed

    Dowd, Ashley N; Motschman, Courtney A; Tiffany, Stephen T

    2018-03-12

    Craving may represent core motivational processes in tobacco dependence, but there is no psychometrically evaluated measure of craving for e-cigarettes (vaping craving). This research developed and validated a brief measure of vaping craving. The measure was evaluated in two studies. In Study 1, a 42-item questionnaire assessing a wide range of vaping craving content was administered to 209 current e-cigarette users. In Study 2, a 10-item questionnaire derived from Study 1 results was administered to 224 current e-cigarette users. Participants were recruited from Amazon's Mechanical Turk, an online labor market. Principal factor analysis identified the strongest loading items (.815 - .867) on the first extracted factor (77% of the factor variance) for inclusion in a 10-item Questionnaire of Vaping Craving (QVC). This item set, with an internal consistency (α) of .97, focused on desire and intent to vape, and anticipation of positive outcomes related to e-cigarette use. Confirmatory factor analysis revealed the items had strong factor loadings that were significantly predicted by the latent vaping craving construct (ps < .001). Higher vaping craving was significantly associated with the level of e-cigarette use, greater negative mood, and lower confidence in ability to quit vaping (ps < .01). Among participants who also smoked tobacco (87%), vaping craving was more strongly associated with e-cigarette dependence than tobacco dependence. The findings support the reliability and validity of the QVC and suggest it could be used in laboratory and clinical settings as a psychometrically sound measure of vaping craving.

  9. Development of a questionnaire to measure heart disease risk knowledge in people with diabetes: the Heart Disease Fact Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Wagner, Julie; Lacey, Kimberly; Chyun, Deborah; Abbott, Gina

    2005-07-01

    This paper describes a paper and pencil questionnaire that measures heart disease risk knowledge in people with diabetes. The Heart Disease Fact Questionnaire (HDFQ) is a 25-item questionnaire that was developed to tap into respondents' knowledge of major risk factors for the development of CHD. Approximately half of these items specifically address diabetes-related CHD risk factors. Based on extensive pilot data, the current study analyzed responses from 524 people with diabetes to assess the psychometric properties. The HDFQ is readable to an average 13-year old and imposes little burden. It shows good content and face validity. It demonstrates adequate internal consistency, with Kuder-Richardson-20 formula = 0.77 and good item-total correlations. Item analysis showed a desirable range in P-values. In discriminant function analyses, HDFQ scores differentiated respondents by knowledge of their own cardiovascular health, use of lipid lowering medications, health insurance status, and educational attainment, thus indicating good criterion related validity. This measure of heart disease risk knowledge is brief, understandable to respondents, and easy to administer and score. Its potential for use in research and practice is discussed. Future research should establish norms as well as investigate its test-retest reliability and predictive validity.

  10. The development and validation of the Bronchiectasis Health Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Spinou, Arietta; Siegert, Richard J; Guan, Wei-Jie; Patel, Amit S; Gosker, Harry R; Lee, Kai K; Elston, Caroline; Loebinger, Michael R; Wilson, Robert; Garrod, Rachel; Birring, Surinder S

    2017-05-01

    Health-related quality of life or health status is significantly impaired in bronchiectasis. There is a paucity of brief, simple-to-use, disease-specific health status measures. The aim of this study was to develop and validate the Bronchiectasis Health Questionnaire (BHQ), a new health status measure that is brief and generates a single overall score.Patients with bronchiectasis were recruited from two outpatient clinics, during a clinically stable stage. The development of the questionnaire followed three phases: item generation and item reduction using Rasch analysis, validation, and repeatability testing. The BHQ was translated into 11 languages using standardised methodology.206 patients with bronchiectasis completed a preliminary 65-item questionnaire. 55 items were removed due to redundancy or poor fit to the Rasch model. The final version of the BHQ consisted of 10 items. Internal consistency was good (Cronbach's α=0.85). Convergent validity of the BHQ with the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire was high (r= -0.82; p<0.001) and moderate with lung function (forced expiratory volume in 1 s % predicted r= -0.27; p=0.001). There was a significant association between BHQ scores and number of exacerbations of bronchiectasis in the last 12 months (p<0.001), hospital admissions (p=0.001) and computed tomography scan bronchiectasis pulmonary lobe counts (p<0.001). BHQ scores were significantly worse in patients with sputum bacterial colonisation versus no colonisation (p=0.048). The BHQ was highly repeatable after 2 weeks (intraclass correlation coefficient 0.89).The BHQ is a brief, valid and repeatable, self-completed health status questionnaire for bronchiectasis that generates a single total score. It can be used in the clinic to assess bronchiectasis from the patient's perspective. Copyright ©ERS 2017.

  11. The English version of the four-dimensional symptom questionnaire (4DSQ) measures the same as the original Dutch questionnaire: a validation study.

    PubMed

    Terluin, Berend; Smits, Niels; Miedema, Baukje

    2014-12-01

    Translations of questionnaires need to be carefully validated to assure that the translation measures the same construct(s) as the original questionnaire. The four-dimensional symptom questionnaire (4DSQ) is a Dutch self-report questionnaire measuring distress, depression, anxiety and somatization. To evaluate the equivalence of the English version of the 4DSQ. 4DSQ data of English and Dutch speaking general practice attendees were analysed and compared. The English speaking group consisted of 205 attendees, aged 18-64 years, in general practice, in Canada whereas the Dutch group consisted of 302 general practice attendees in the Netherlands. Differential item functioning (DIF) analysis was conducted using the Mantel-Haenszel method and ordinal logistic regression. Differential test functioning (DTF; i.e., the scale impact of DIF) was evaluated using linear regression analysis. DIF was detected in 2/16 distress items, 2/6 depression items, 2/12 anxiety items, and 1/16 somatization items. With respect to mean scale scores, the impact of DIF on the scale level was negligible for all scales. On the anxiety scale DIF caused the English speaking patients with moderate to severe anxiety to score about one point lower than Dutch patients with the same anxiety level. The English 4DSQ measures the same constructs like the original Dutch 4DSQ. The distress, depression and somatization scales can employ the same cut-off points as the corresponding Dutch scales. However, cut-off points of the English 4DSQ anxiety scale should be lowered by one point to retain the same meaning as the Dutch anxiety cut-off points.

  12. Disparity in report of autism-related behaviors by social demographic characteristics: Findings from a community-based study in Taiwan.

    PubMed

    Tsai, Peng-Chou; Harrington, Rebecca A; Lung, For-Wey; Lee, Li-Ching

    2017-07-01

    The Social Communication Questionnaire is one of the most commonly used screening tools for autism spectrum disorder. The Social Communication Questionnaire is a caregiver-reported questionnaire with 40 items based on questions from the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised. This study collected Social Communication Questionnaire data from a community-based, multi-stage case identification design epidemiologic study in one socioeconomically disadvantaged county in Taiwan. The Social Communication Questionnaire was distributed to 3034 school children, aged 6-8 years. Item prevalence results indicate males were reported to have more autism-related behaviors than females (higher prevalence on most items), in the whole study sample as well as in children meeting Social Communication Questionnaire clinical cut-offs (⩾15). Children whose biological fathers completed the Social Communication Questionnaire were reported to have more behavioral issues than children whose biological mothers were the respondent. Lower respondent education levels were associated with reports of clinically concerning autism-related behaviors. However, males were not at higher risk of meeting Social Communication Questionnaire clinical cut-offs than females in this study population. Findings from this study help to better understand reporting patterns on children's autism-related behaviors potentially due to social demographic characteristics and child sex, which may lead to improved identification of these behaviors.

  13. Evaluation properties of the French version of the OUT-PATSAT35 satisfaction with care questionnaire according to classical and item response theory analyses.

    PubMed

    Panouillères, M; Anota, A; Nguyen, T V; Brédart, A; Bosset, J F; Monnier, A; Mercier, M; Hardouin, J B

    2014-09-01

    The present study investigates the properties of the French version of the OUT-PATSAT35 questionnaire, which evaluates the outpatients' satisfaction with care in oncology using classical analysis (CTT) and item response theory (IRT). This cross-sectional multicenter study includes 692 patients who completed the questionnaire at the end of their ambulatory treatment. CTT analyses tested the main psychometric properties (convergent and divergent validity, and internal consistency). IRT analyses were conducted separately for each OUT-PATSAT35 domain (the doctors, the nurses or the radiation therapists and the services/organization) by models from the Rasch family. We examined the fit of the data to the model expectations and tested whether the model assumptions of unidimensionality, monotonicity and local independence were respected. A total of 605 (87.4%) respondents were analyzed with a mean age of 64 years (range 29-88). Internal consistency for all scales separately and for the three main domains was good (Cronbach's α 0.74-0.98). IRT analyses were performed with the partial credit model. No disordered thresholds of polytomous items were found. Each domain showed high reliability but fitted poorly to the Rasch models. Three items in particular, the item about "promptness" in the doctors' domain and the items about "accessibility" and "environment" in the services/organization domain, presented the highest default of fit. A correct fit of the Rasch model can be obtained by dropping these items. Most of the local dependence concerned items about "information provided" in each domain. A major deviation of unidimensionality was found in the nurses' domain. CTT showed good psychometric properties of the OUT-PATSAT35. However, the Rasch analysis revealed some misfitting and redundant items. Taking the above problems into consideration, it could be interesting to refine the questionnaire in a future study.

  14. Development of the Comprehensive General Parenting Questionnaire for caregivers of 5-13 year olds.

    PubMed

    Sleddens, Ester F C; O'Connor, Teresia M; Watson, Kathleen B; Hughes, Sheryl O; Power, Thomas G; Thijs, Carel; De Vries, Nanne K; Kremers, Stef P J

    2014-02-10

    Despite the large number of parenting questionnaires, considerable disagreement exists about how to best assess parenting. Most of the instruments only assess limited aspects of parenting. To overcome this shortcoming, the "Comprehensive General Parenting Questionnaire" (CGPQ) was systematically developed. Such a measure is frequently requested in the area of childhood overweight. First, an item bank of existing parenting measures was created assessing five key parenting constructs that have been identified across multiple theoretical approaches to parenting (Nurturance, Overprotection, Coercive control, Behavioral control, and Structure). Caregivers of 5- to 13-year-olds were asked to complete the online survey in the Netherlands (N = 821), Belgium (N = 435) and the United States (N = 241). In addition, a questionnaire regarding personality characteristics ("Big Five") of the caregiver was administered and parents were asked to report about their child's height and weight. Factor analyses and Item-Response Modeling (IRM) techniques were used to assess the underlying parenting constructs and for item reduction. Correlation analyses were performed to assess the relations between general parenting and personality of the caregivers, adjusting for socio-economic status (SES) indicators, to establish criterion validity. Multivariate linear regressions were performed to examine the associations of SES indicators and parenting with child BMI z-scores. Additionally, we assessed whether scores on the parenting constructs and child BMI z-scores differed depending on SES indicators. The reduced questionnaire (62 items) revealed acceptable fit of our parenting model and acceptable IRM item fit statistics. Caregiver personality was related as hypothesized with the GCPQ parenting constructs. While correcting for SES, overprotection was positively related to child BMI. The negative relationship between structure and BMI was borderline significant. Parents with a high level of education were less likely to use overly forms of controlling parenting (i.e., coercive control and overprotection) and more likely to have children with lower BMI. Based on several author review meetings and cognitive interviews the questionnaire was further modified to an 85-item questionnaire. The GCPQ may facilitate research exploring how parenting influences children's weight-related behaviors. The contextual influence of general parenting is likely to be more profound than its direct relationship with weight status.

  15. Cognitive interviews guide design of a new CAM patient expectations questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Sherman, Karen J; Eaves, Emery R; Ritenbaugh, Cheryl; Hsu, Clarissa; Cherkin, Daniel C; Turner, Judith A

    2014-01-25

    No consistent relationship exists between pre-treatment expectations and therapeutic benefit from various complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies in clinical trials. However, many different expectancy measures have been used in those studies, with no validated questionnaires clearly focused on CAM and pain. We undertook cognitive interviews as part of a process to develop and validate such a questionnaire. We reviewed questions about expectations of benefits of acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, or yoga for pain. Components of the questions - verbs, nouns, response options, terms and phrases describing back pain - were identified. Using seven different cognitive interview scripts, we conducted 39 interviews to evaluate how individuals with chronic low back pain understood these individual components in the context of expectancy questions for a therapy they had not yet received. Chosen items were those with the greatest agreement and least confusion among participants, and were closest to the meanings intended by the investigators. The questionnaire drafted for psychometric evaluation had 18 items covering various domains of expectancy. "Back pain" was the most consistently interpreted descriptor for this condition. The most understandable response options were 0-10 scales, a structure used throughout the questionnaire, with 0 always indicating no change, and 10 anchored with an absolute descriptor such as "complete relief". The use of words to describe midpoints was found to be confusing. The word "expect" held different and shifting meanings for participants. Thus paired items comparing "hope" and "realistically expect" were chosen to evaluate 5 different aspects of treatment expectations (back pain; back dysfunction and global effects; impact of back pain on specific areas of life; sleep, mood, and energy; coping). "Impact of back pain" on various areas of life was found to be a consistently meaningful concept, and more global than "interference". Cognitive interviews identified wordings with considerable agreement among both participants and investigators. Some items widely used in clinical studies had different meanings to participants than investigators, or were confusing to participants. The final 18-item questionnaire is undergoing psychometric evaluation with goals of streamlining as well as identifying best items for use when questionnaire length is constrained.

  16. Construction of a web-based questionnaire for longitudinal investigation of work exposure, musculoskeletal pain and performance impairments in high-performance marine craft populations.

    PubMed

    Lo Martire, Riccardo; de Alwis, Manudul Pahansen; Äng, Björn Olov; Garme, Karl

    2017-07-20

    High-performance marine craft personnel (HPMCP) are regularly exposed to vibration and repeated shock (VRS) levels exceeding maximum limitations stated by international legislation. Whereas such exposure reportedly is detrimental to health and performance, the epidemiological data necessary to link these adverse effects causally to VRS are not available in the scientific literature, and no suitable tools for acquiring such data exist. This study therefore constructed a questionnaire for longitudinal investigations in HPMCP. A consensus panel defined content domains, identified relevant items and outlined a questionnaire. The relevance and simplicity of the questionnaire's content were then systematically assessed by expert raters in three consecutive stages, each followed by revisions. An item-level content validity index (I-CVI) was computed as the proportion of experts rating an item as relevant and simple, and a scale-level content validity index (S-CVI/Ave) as the average I-CVI across items. The thresholds for acceptable content validity were 0.78 and 0.90, respectively. Finally, a dynamic web version of the questionnaire was constructed and pilot tested over a 1-month period during a marine exercise in a study population sample of eight subjects, while accelerometers simultaneously quantified VRS exposure. Content domains were defined as work exposure, musculoskeletal pain and human performance, and items were selected to reflect these constructs. Ratings from nine experts yielded S-CVI/Ave of 0.97 and 1.00 for relevance and simplicity, respectively, and the pilot test suggested that responses were sensitive to change in acceleration and that the questionnaire, following some adjustments, was feasible for its intended purpose. A dynamic web-based questionnaire for longitudinal survey of key variables in HPMCP was constructed. Expert ratings supported that the questionnaire content is relevant, simple and sufficiently comprehensive, and the pilot test suggested that the questionnaire is feasible for longitudinal measurements in the study population. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

  17. From single-use to multi-use: Study of consumers' behavior toward consumption of reusable containers.

    PubMed

    Ertz, Myriam; Huang, Rong; Jo, Myung-Soo; Karakas, Fahri; Sarigöllü, Emine

    2017-05-15

    This study advances the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to identify the mechanism that underlies the consumption of reusable containers. A questionnaire including context, motivation, subjective norms, attitudes, perceived behavioral control, intentions and behavior items was developed and pre-tested on 180 students in a Canadian and a Chinese university respectively. Subsequently, the questionnaire was implemented in the form of an online survey and 1221 effective responses were collected from Western (n = 549) and Asian (n = 672) consumers. The findings revealed that the context and motivation variables are important antecedents to several TPB constructs. Context strongly impacts perceived behavioral control and motivations as well as attitudes. Motivation is clearly distinct from intentions and has a significant influence on both attitudes and intentions. In addition to the standard variables of perceived behavioral control, subjective norms and attitudes, motivation does have a significant impact on intentions. Furthermore, there are cultural differences in the way context impacts intentions and behavior in that Asians (Westerners) are influenced by context to increase reusable containers consumption through motivation (attitudes). Attitude is a significantly stronger predictor of intentions for Westerners than Asians. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  18. Factor Structure of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire: Examination of a Method Factor

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Hazlett-Stevens, Holly; Ullman, Jodie B.; Craske, Michelle G.

    2004-01-01

    The Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) was originally designed as a unifactorial measure of pathological trait worry. However, recent studies supported a two-factor solution with positively worded items loading on the first factor and reverse-scored items loading on a second factor. The current study compared this two-factor model to a negative…

  19. Development and Validation of the Groupwork Skills Questionnaire (GSQ) for Higher Education

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Cumming, Jennifer; Woodcock, Charlotte; Cooley, Sam J.; Holland, Mark J. G.; Burns, Victoria E.

    2015-01-01

    The aim of the present study was to develop and provide psychometric evidence in support of the groupwork skills questionnaire (GSQ) for measuring task and interpersonal groupwork skills. A 46-item version of the GSQ was initially completed by 672 university students. The number of items was reduced to 15 following exploratory factor analyses, and…

  20. Dimensionality of the Latent Structure and Item Selection via Latent Class Multidimensional IRT Models

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Bartolucci, F.; Montanari, G. E.; Pandolfi, S.

    2012-01-01

    With reference to a questionnaire aimed at assessing the performance of Italian nursing homes on the basis of the health conditions of their patients, we investigate two relevant issues: dimensionality of the latent structure and discriminating power of the items composing the questionnaire. The approach is based on a multidimensional item…

  1. Training Needs of Personnel Employed in Programs Participating in the National School Lunch Program in California

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Jones, Anna Marie; Punia, Mandeep; Young, Shannan; Huegli, Carol Chase; Zidenberg-Cherr, Sheri

    2013-01-01

    Purpose/Objectives: The objective of this study was to determine the perceived training needs of California school nutrition personnel. Methods: A questionnaire was developed using items from previous questionnaires administered to similar populations. New items were written based on feedback from stakeholders. Respondents were asked to rate their…

  2. Refinement of the Long-Term Conditions Questionnaire (LTCQ): patient and expert stakeholder opinion.

    PubMed

    Kelly, Laura; Potter, Caroline M; Hunter, Cheryl; Gibbons, Elizabeth; Fitzpatrick, Ray; Jenkinson, Crispin; Peters, Michele

    2016-01-01

    It is a key UK government priority to assess and improve outcomes in people with long-term conditions (LTCs). We are developing a new patient-reported outcome measure, the Long-Term Conditions Questionnaire (LTCQ), for use among people with single or multiple LTCs. This study aimed to refine candidate LTCQ items that had previously been informed through literature reviews, interviews with professional stakeholders, and interviews with people with LTCs. Cognitive interviews (n=32) with people living with LTCs and consultations with professional stakeholders (n=13) and public representatives (n=5) were conducted to assess the suitability of 23 candidate items. Items were tested for content and comprehensibility and underwent a translatability assessment. Four rounds of revisions took place, due to amendments to item structure, improvements to item clarity, item duplication, and recommendations for future translations. Twenty items were confirmed as relevant to living with LTCs and understandable to patients and professionals. This study supports the content validity of the LTCQ items among people with LTCs and professional stakeholders. The final items are suitable to enter the next stage of psychometric refinement.

  3. Development and Validation of the Food Liking Questionnaire in a French-Canadian Population

    PubMed Central

    Carbonneau, Elise; Bradette-Laplante, Maude; Lamarche, Benoît; Provencher, Véronique; Bégin, Catherine; Robitaille, Julie; Desroches, Sophie; Corneau, Louise; Lemieux, Simone

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a questionnaire assessing food liking in a French-Canadian population. A questionnaire was developed, in which participants were asked to rate their degree of liking of 50 food items. An expert panel evaluated the content validity. For the validation study, 150 men and women completed the questionnaire twice. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed to assess the number of subscales of the questionnaire. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the subscales were evaluated. Concurrent validity was assessed through correlations between liking scores and self-reported frequencies of consumption. Comments from the experts led to changes in the list of foods included in the questionnaire. The EFA revealed a two-factor structure for the questionnaire (i.e., savory and sweet foods) and led to the removal of nine items, resulting in a 32-item questionnaire. The two subscales revealed good internal consistency (Cronbach alphas: 0.85 and 0.89) and test-retest reliability (p = 0.84 and 0.86). The questionnaire demonstrated adequate concurrent validity, with moderate correlations between food liking and self-reported frequency of consumption (r = 0.19–0.39, ps < 0.05). This new Food Liking Questionnaire assessing liking of a variety of savory and sweet foods demonstrated good psychometric properties in every validation step. This questionnaire will be useful to explore the role of food liking and its interactions with other factors in predicting eating behaviors and energy intake. PMID:29292754

  4. Development and Validation of the Food Liking Questionnaire in a French-Canadian Population.

    PubMed

    Carbonneau, Elise; Bradette-Laplante, Maude; Lamarche, Benoît; Provencher, Véronique; Bégin, Catherine; Robitaille, Julie; Desroches, Sophie; Vohl, Marie-Claude; Corneau, Louise; Lemieux, Simone

    2017-12-08

    The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a questionnaire assessing food liking in a French-Canadian population. A questionnaire was developed, in which participants were asked to rate their degree of liking of 50 food items. An expert panel evaluated the content validity. For the validation study, 150 men and women completed the questionnaire twice. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed to assess the number of subscales of the questionnaire. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability of the subscales were evaluated. Concurrent validity was assessed through correlations between liking scores and self-reported frequencies of consumption. Comments from the experts led to changes in the list of foods included in the questionnaire. The EFA revealed a two-factor structure for the questionnaire (i.e., savory and sweet foods) and led to the removal of nine items, resulting in a 32-item questionnaire. The two subscales revealed good internal consistency (Cronbach alphas: 0.85 and 0.89) and test-retest reliability ( p = 0.84 and 0.86). The questionnaire demonstrated adequate concurrent validity, with moderate correlations between food liking and self-reported frequency of consumption ( r = 0.19-0.39, p s < 0.05). This new Food Liking Questionnaire assessing liking of a variety of savory and sweet foods demonstrated good psychometric properties in every validation step. This questionnaire will be useful to explore the role of food liking and its interactions with other factors in predicting eating behaviors and energy intake.

  5. Ramsay-Curve Differential Item Functioning

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Woods, Carol M.

    2011-01-01

    Differential item functioning (DIF) occurs when an item on a test, questionnaire, or interview has different measurement properties for one group of people versus another, irrespective of true group-mean differences on the constructs being measured. This article is focused on item response theory based likelihood ratio testing for DIF (IRT-LR or…

  6. [Factors associated with compliance to the semi-recumbent position in the patient on mechanical ventilation: CAPCRI-Q questionnaire].

    PubMed

    Llauradó-Serra, M; Güell-Baró, R; Lobo-Cívico, A; Castanera-Duro, A; Pi-Guerrero, M; Piñol-Tena, A; Paños-Espinosa, C; Calpe-Damians, N; Olona, M; Sandiumenge, A; Jiménez-Herrera, M F

    2015-01-01

    To create a questionnaire (CAPCRI-Q) to determine the factors associated with the compliance of the semi-recumbent position in patients under mechanical ventilation. A closed questionnaire was created using a literature review and clinical practice. The initial version consisted of 61 items placed into 5 categories: patient factors, team and professionals factors, activity, educational and training factors, and equipment and resources. A Delphi method was used to prepare the questionnaire. Comprehension, relevance and importance of each item were evaluated, as well as the recommendations of experts. A qualitative pilot test with 9 healthcare professionals was performed, followed by a quantitative pilot test with 67 nurses from 6 intensive care units to test the internal consistency of the instrument. Three rounds with 15 experts were required to reach a consensus. The final version of the questionnaire consisted of 36 items enclosed in the same categories as the initial version. The internal consistency analysis showed values greater than 0.800 for each independent item, each category, and for the global questionnaire (0.873; 95%CI: 0.825-0.913). The analysis of the nurses' responses emphasised the importance of the patient factors, as well as organisational and infra-structural factors, for the compliance of the recommendation. The questionnaire created is reliable and appears to have content validity. The most influential factors for compliance are those related to the patient and the internal organisation. The results of the questionnaire can be used to evaluate the factors influencing the compliance and to establish improvement strategies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier España, S.L.U. y SEEIUC. All rights reserved.

  7. A new item response theory model to adjust data allowing examinee choice

    PubMed Central

    Costa, Marcelo Azevedo; Braga Oliveira, Rivert Paulo

    2018-01-01

    In a typical questionnaire testing situation, examinees are not allowed to choose which items they answer because of a technical issue in obtaining satisfactory statistical estimates of examinee ability and item difficulty. This paper introduces a new item response theory (IRT) model that incorporates information from a novel representation of questionnaire data using network analysis. Three scenarios in which examinees select a subset of items were simulated. In the first scenario, the assumptions required to apply the standard Rasch model are met, thus establishing a reference for parameter accuracy. The second and third scenarios include five increasing levels of violating those assumptions. The results show substantial improvements over the standard model in item parameter recovery. Furthermore, the accuracy was closer to the reference in almost every evaluated scenario. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first proposal to obtain satisfactory IRT statistical estimates in the last two scenarios. PMID:29389996

  8. Development of a disease-specific quality of life questionnaire in Addison's disease.

    PubMed

    Løvås, Kristian; Curran, Suzanne; Oksnes, Marianne; Husebye, Eystein S; Huppert, Felicia A; Chatterjee, V Krishna K

    2010-02-01

    Patients with Addison's disease reproducibly self-report impairment in specific dimensions of general well-being questionnaires, suggesting particular deficiencies in health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL). We sought to develop an Addison's disease-specific questionnaire (AddiQoL) that could better quantify altered well-being and treatment effects. Design, Setting, Patients, Intervention, and Outcomes: We reviewed the literature to identify HRQoL issues in Addison's disease and interviewed patients and their partners in-depth to explore various symptom domains. A list of items was generated, and nine expert clinicians and five expert patients assessed the list for impact and clarity. A preliminary questionnaire was presented to 100 Addison's outpatients; the number of items was reduced after analysis of the distribution of the responses. The final questionnaire responses were assessed by Cronbach's alpha and Rasch analysis. Published studies of HRQoL in Addison's disease indicated reduced vitality and general health perception and limitations in physical and emotional functioning. In-depth interviews of 14 patients and seven partners emphasized the impact of the disease on the emotional domain. Seventy HRQoL items were generated; after the expert consultation process and pretesting in 100 patients, the number of items was reduced to 36. Eighty-six patients completed the final questionnaire; the responses showed high internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha 0.95 and Person Separation Index 0.94 (Rasch analysis). We envisage AddiQoL having utility in trials of hormone replacement and management of patients with Addison's disease, analogous to similar questionnaires in GH deficiency (AGHDA) and acromegaly (AcroQoL).

  9. Toward a Measure of Accountability in Nursing: A Three-Stage Validation Study.

    PubMed

    Drach-Zahavy, Anat; Leonenko, Marina; Srulovici, Einav

    2018-06-04

    To develop and psychometrically evaluate a three-dimensional questionnaire suitable for evaluating personal and organizational accountability in nurses. Accountability is defined as a three-dimensional value, directing professionals to take responsibility for their decisions and actions, to be willing to explain them (transparency) and to be judged according to society's accepted values (answerability). Despite the relatively clear definition, measurement of accountability lags well behind. Existing self-report questionnaires do not fully capture the complexity of the concept; nor do they capture the different sources of accountability (e.g., personal accountability, organizational accountability). A three-stage measure development. Data were collected during 2015-2016. In Phase 1, an initial database of items (N = 74) was developed, based on literature review and qualitative study, establishing face and content validity. In Phase 2, the face, content, construct and criterion-related validity of the initial questionnaires (19 items for personal and organizational accountability questionnaire) was established with a sample of 229 nurses. In Phase 3, the final questionnaires (19 items each) were validated with a new sample of 329 nurses and established construct validity. The final version of the instruments comprised 19 items, suitable for assessing personal and organizational accountability. The questionnaire referred to the dimensions of responsibility, transparency and answerability. The findings established the instrument's content, construct and criterion-related validity, as well as good internal reliability. The questionnaire portrays accountability in nursing, by capturing nurses' subjective perceptions of accountability dimensions (responsibility, transparency, answerability), as demonstrated by personal and organizational values. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  10. Development of a brief questionnaire to assess habitual beverage intake (BEVQ-15): sugar-sweetened beverages and total beverage energy intake.

    PubMed

    Hedrick, Valisa E; Savla, Jyoti; Comber, Dana L; Flack, Kyle D; Estabrooks, Paul A; Nsiah-Kumi, Phyllis A; Ortmeier, Stacie; Davy, Brenda M

    2012-06-01

    Energy-containing beverages, specifically sugar-sweetened beverages, may contribute to weight gain and obesity development. Yet, no rapid assessment tools are available which quantify habitual beverage intake (grams, energy) in adults. Determine the factorial validity of a newly developed beverage intake questionnaire (BEVQ) and identify potential to reduce items. Participants from varying economic and educational backgrounds (n=1,596, age 43±12 years, body mass index [calculated as kg/m(2)] 31.5±0.2) completed a 19-item BEVQ (BEVQ-19). Beverages that contributed <10% to total beverage, or sugar-sweetened beverages, energy and grams were identified for potential removal. Factor analyses identified beverage categories that could potentially be combined. Regression analyses compared BEVQ-19 outcomes with the reduced version's (BEVQ-15) variables. Inter-item reliability was assessed using Cronbach's α. Following BEVQ-15 development, a subsequent study (n=70, age 37±2 years; body mass index 24.5±0.4) evaluated the relative validity of the BEVQ-15 through comparison of three 24-hour dietary recalls' beverage intake. Three beverage items were identified for elimination (vegetable juice, meal replacement drinks, and mixed alcoholic drinks); beer and light beer were combined into one category. Regression models using BEVQ-15 variables explained 91% to 99% of variance in the four major outcomes of the BEVQ-19 (all P<0.001). Cronbach's α ranged .97 to .99 for all outcomes. In the follow-up study, BEVQ-15 and three 24-hour dietary recalls' variables were significantly correlated with the exception of whole milk; BEVQ-15 sugar-sweetened beverages (R(2)=0.69), and total beverage energy (R(2)=0.59) were more highly correlated with three 24-hour dietary recalls' than previously reported for the BEVQ-19. The BEVQ-15 produced a lower readability score of 4.8, which is appropriate for individuals with a fourth-grade education or greater. The BEVQ-19 can be reduced to a 15-item questionnaire. This brief dietary assessment tool will enable researchers and practitioners to rapidly (administration time of ∼2 minutes) assess habitual beverage intake, and to determine possible associations of beverage consumption with health-related outcomes, such as weight status. Copyright © 2012 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Development of a Brief Questionnaire to Assess Habitual Beverage Intake (BEVQ-15): Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Total Beverage Energy Intake

    PubMed Central

    Hedrick, Valisa E.; Savla, Jyoti; Comber, Dana L.; Flack, Kyle D.; Estabrooks, Paul A.; Nsiah-Kumi, Phyllis A.; Ortmeier, Stacie; Davy, Brenda M.

    2012-01-01

    Introduction Energy-containing beverages, specifically sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB), may contribute to weight gain and obesity development. Yet, no rapid assessment tools are available which quantify habitual beverage intake (grams, energy) in adults. Objective Determine the factorial validity of a newly developed beverage intake questionnaire (BEVQ) and identify potential to reduce items. Methods Participants from varying economic and educational backgrounds (n=1,596; age 43±12 yrs; BMI 31.5±0.2 kg/m2) completed a 19-item BEVQ (BEVQ-19). Beverages that contributed <10% to total beverage, or SSB, energy and grams were identified for potential removal. Factor analyses identified beverage categories that could potentially be combined. Regression analyses compared BEVQ-19 outcomes with the reduced version’s (BEVQ-15) variables. Inter-item reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s Alpha. Following BEVQ-15 development, a subsequent study (n=70; age 37±2 yrs; BMI 24.5±0.4 kg/m2) evaluated the relative validity of the BEVQ-15 through comparison of three 24-hour dietary recalls’ (FIR) beverage intake. Results Three beverage items were identified for elimination (vegetable juice, meal replacement drinks, mixed alcoholic drinks); beer and light beer were combined into one category. Regression models using BEVQ-15 variables explained 91–99% of variance in the four major outcomes of the BEVQ-19 (all P<0.001). Cronbach’s Alpha ranged 0.97–0.99 for all outcomes. In the follow-up study, BEVQ-15 and FIR variables were significantly correlated with the exception of whole milk; BEVQ-15 SSB (R2=0.69) and total beverage energy (R2=0.59) were more highly correlated with FIR than previously reported for the BEVQ-19. The BEVQ-15 produced a lower readability score of 4.8, which is appropriate for individuals with a fourth grade education or greater. Conclusion The BEVQ-19 can be reduced to a 15-item questionnaire. This brief dietary assessment tool will enable researchers and practitioners to rapidly (administration time of ~2 min) assess habitual beverage intake, and to determine possible associations of beverage consumption with health-related outcomes, such as weight status. PMID:22709811

  12. Psychometric Validation of the Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension-Symptoms and Impact (PAH-SYMPACT®) Questionnaire: Results of the SYMPHONY Trial.

    PubMed

    Chin, Kelly M; Gomberg-Maitland, Mardi; Channick, Richard N; Cuttica, Michael J; Fischer, Aryeh; Frantz, Robert P; Hunsche, Elke; Kleinman, Leah; McConnell, John W; McLaughlin, Vallerie V; Miller, Chad E; Zamanian, Roham T; Zastrow, Michael S; Badesch, David B

    2018-04-26

    Disease-specific patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments are important in assessing the impact of disease and treatment. PAH-SYMPACT ® is the first questionnaire for quantifying pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) symptoms and impacts developed following the 2009 FDA PRO guidance; previous qualitative research with PAH patients supported its initial content validity. Content finalization and psychometric validation were conducted using data from SYMPHONY, a single-arm, 16-week study with macitentan 10mg in US patients with PAH. Item performance, Rasch, and factor analyses were used to select final item content of the PRO and define its domain structure. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, known-group and construct validity, sensitivity to change, and influence of oxygen on item performance were evaluated. Data from 278 patients (79% female, mean age 60 years) were analyzed. Following removal of redundant/misfitting items, the final questionnaire has 11 symptom items across 2 domains (cardiopulmonary and cardiovascular symptoms) and 11 impact items across 2 domains (physical and cognitive/emotional impacts). Differential item function analysis confirmed PRO scoring is unaffected by oxygen use. For all 4 domains, internal consistency reliability was high (Cronbach's alpha >0.80) and scores were highly reproducible in stable patients (intra-class correlation coefficient 0.84-0.94). Correlations with CAMPHOR and SF-36 were moderate-to-high ([r]=0.34-0.80). The questionnaire differentiated well between patients with different disease severity levels, and was sensitive to improvements in clinician- and patient-reported disease severity. The PAH-SYMPACT ® is a brief, disease-specific PRO instrument possessing good psychometric properties which can be administered in clinical practice and clinical studies. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  13. Development and Validation of the Bicultural Youth Acculturation Questionnaire

    PubMed Central

    Kukaswadia, Atif; Janssen, Ian; Pickett, William; Bajwa, Jasmine; Georgiades, Katholiki; Lalonde, Richard N.; Quon, Elizabeth C.; Safdar, Saba; Pike, Ian

    2016-01-01

    Objectives Acculturation is a multidimensional process involving changes in behaviour and beliefs. Questionnaires developed to measure acculturation are typically designed for specific ethnic populations and adult experiences. This study developed a questionnaire that measures acculturation among ethnically diverse populations of youth that can be included as a module in population surveys. Methods Questionnaires measuring acculturation in youth were identified in the literature. The importance of items from the existing questionnaires was determined using a Delphi process and this informed the development of our questionnaire. The questionnaire was then pilot tested using a sample of 248 Canadians aged 18–25 via an online system. Participants identified as East and South East Asian (27.8%), South Asian (17.7%) and Black (13.7%). The majority were 1st (33.5%) or 2nd generation immigrants (52.0%). After redundant items were eliminated, exploratory factor analysis grouped items into domains, and, for each domain, internal consistency, and convergent validity with immigrant generation then age at immigration estimated. A subset of participants re-completed the questionnaire for reliability estimation. Results The literature review yielded 117 articles that used 13 questionnaires with a total of 440 questions. The Delphi process reduced these to 32 questions. Pilot testing occurred in 248 Canadians aged 18–25. Following item reduction, 16 questions in three domains remained: dominant culture, heritage language, and heritage culture. All had good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alphas > .75). The mean dominant domain score increased with immigrant generation (1st generation: 3.69 (95% CI: 3.49–3.89), 2nd: 4.13 (4.00–4.26), 3rd: 4.40 (4.19–4.61)), and mean heritage language score was higher among those who immigrated after age 12 than before (p = .0001), indicative of convergent validity. Conclusions This Bicultural Youth Acculturation Questionnaire has demonstrated validity. It can be incorporated into population health surveys to elucidate the impact of acculturation on health outcomes among bicultural youth. PMID:27557080

  14. Development and Validation of the Bicultural Youth Acculturation Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Kukaswadia, Atif; Janssen, Ian; Pickett, William; Bajwa, Jasmine; Georgiades, Katholiki; Lalonde, Richard N; Quon, Elizabeth C; Safdar, Saba; Pike, Ian

    2016-01-01

    Acculturation is a multidimensional process involving changes in behaviour and beliefs. Questionnaires developed to measure acculturation are typically designed for specific ethnic populations and adult experiences. This study developed a questionnaire that measures acculturation among ethnically diverse populations of youth that can be included as a module in population surveys. Questionnaires measuring acculturation in youth were identified in the literature. The importance of items from the existing questionnaires was determined using a Delphi process and this informed the development of our questionnaire. The questionnaire was then pilot tested using a sample of 248 Canadians aged 18-25 via an online system. Participants identified as East and South East Asian (27.8%), South Asian (17.7%) and Black (13.7%). The majority were 1st (33.5%) or 2nd generation immigrants (52.0%). After redundant items were eliminated, exploratory factor analysis grouped items into domains, and, for each domain, internal consistency, and convergent validity with immigrant generation then age at immigration estimated. A subset of participants re-completed the questionnaire for reliability estimation. The literature review yielded 117 articles that used 13 questionnaires with a total of 440 questions. The Delphi process reduced these to 32 questions. Pilot testing occurred in 248 Canadians aged 18-25. Following item reduction, 16 questions in three domains remained: dominant culture, heritage language, and heritage culture. All had good internal consistency (Cronbach's alphas > .75). The mean dominant domain score increased with immigrant generation (1st generation: 3.69 (95% CI: 3.49-3.89), 2nd: 4.13 (4.00-4.26), 3rd: 4.40 (4.19-4.61)), and mean heritage language score was higher among those who immigrated after age 12 than before (p = .0001), indicative of convergent validity. This Bicultural Youth Acculturation Questionnaire has demonstrated validity. It can be incorporated into population health surveys to elucidate the impact of acculturation on health outcomes among bicultural youth.

  15. Item generation and design testing of a questionnaire to assess degenerative joint disease-associated pain in cats.

    PubMed

    Zamprogno, Helia; Hansen, Bernie D; Bondell, Howard D; Sumrell, Andrea Thomson; Simpson, Wendy; Robertson, Ian D; Brown, James; Pease, Anthony P; Roe, Simon C; Hardie, Elizabeth M; Wheeler, Simon J; Lascelles, B Duncan X

    2010-12-01

    To determine the items (question topics) for a subjective instrument to assess degenerative joint disease (DJD)-associated chronic pain in cats and determine the instrument design most appropriate for use by cat owners. 100 randomly selected client-owned cats from 6 months to 20 years old. Cats were evaluated to determine degree of radiographic DJD and signs of pain throughout the skeletal system. Two groups were identified: high DJD pain and low DJD pain. Owner-answered questions about activity and signs of pain were compared between the 2 groups to define items relating to chronic DJD pain. Interviews with 45 cat owners were performed to generate items. Fifty-three cat owners who had not been involved in any other part of the study, 19 veterinarians, and 2 statisticians assessed 6 preliminary instrument designs. 22 cats were selected for each group; 19 important items were identified, resulting in 12 potential items for the instrument; and 3 additional items were identified from owner interviews. Owners and veterinarians selected a 5-point descriptive instrument design over 11-point or visual analogue scale formats. Behaviors relating to activity were substantially different between healthy cats and cats with signs of DJD-associated pain. Fifteen items were identified as being potentially useful, and the preferred instrument design was identified. This information could be used to construct an owner-based questionnaire to assess feline DJD-associated pain. Once validated, such a questionnaire would assist in evaluating potential analgesic treatments for these patients.

  16. [KON-2006--Neurotic Personality Questionnaire].

    PubMed

    Aleksandrowicz, Jerzy W; Klasa, Katarzyna; Sobański, Jerzy A; Stolarska, Dorota

    2007-01-01

    Construction of a questionnaire describing personality traits connected to the occurrence and persistence of neurotic disorders. Responses of 794 patients (before treatment) and 520 persons from the control group on items of the constructed personality questionnaire and the symptom checklist "0". Analyses of subscales reliability and item-scale correlations, test-retest and split-half reliability. Factor analyses estimating internal reliability of the questionnaire. Cross-validation with the KO"0". symptom checklist Psychometric properties of KON-2006 questionnaire indicate that it is consistent and reliable enough. Validity analyses indicate a large probability that the X-KON coefficient informs on personality dysfunctions related to neurotic disorders. The Neurotic Personality Questionnaire KON-2006 may serve to estimate personality traits connected to the occurrence and persistence of neurotic disorders as well as changes resulting from psychotherapy.

  17. Measurement equivalence of the KINDL questionnaire across child self-reports and parent proxy-reports: a comparison between item response theory and ordinal logistic regression.

    PubMed

    Jafari, Peyman; Sharafi, Zahra; Bagheri, Zahra; Shalileh, Sara

    2014-06-01

    Measurement equivalence is a necessary assumption for meaningful comparison of pediatric quality of life rated by children and parents. In this study, differential item functioning (DIF) analysis is used to examine whether children and their parents respond consistently to the items in the KINDer Lebensqualitätsfragebogen (KINDL; in German, Children Quality of Life Questionnaire). Two DIF detection methods, graded response model (GRM) and ordinal logistic regression (OLR), were applied for comparability. The KINDL was completed by 1,086 school children and 1,061 of their parents. While the GRM revealed that 12 out of the 24 items were flagged with DIF, the OLR identified 14 out of the 24 items with DIF. Seven items with DIF and five items without DIF were common across the two methods, yielding a total agreement rate of 50 %. This study revealed that parent proxy-reports cannot be used as a substitute for a child's ratings in the KINDL.

  18. Study protocol of psychometric properties of the Spanish translation of a competence test in evidence based practice: the Fresno test.

    PubMed

    Argimon-Pallàs, Josep M; Flores-Mateo, Gemma; Jiménez-Villa, Josep; Pujol-Ribera, Enriqueta; Foz, Gonçal; Bundó-Vidiella, Magda; Juncosa, Sebastià; Fuentes-Bellido, Cruz M; Pérez-Rodríguez, Belén; Margalef-Pallarès, Francesc; Villafafila-Ferrero, Rosa; Forès-Garcia, Dolors; Roman-Martínez, Josep; Vilert-Garroga, Esther

    2009-02-24

    There are few high-quality instruments for evaluating the effectiveness of Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) curricula with objective outcomes measures. The Fresno test is an instrument that evaluates most of EBP steps with a high reliability and validity in the English original version. The present study has the aims to translate the Fresno questionnaire into Spanish and its subsequent validation to ensure the equivalence of the Spanish version against the English original. The questionnaire will be translated with the back translation technique and tested in Primary Care Teaching Units in Catalonia (PCTU). Participants will be: (a) tutors of Family Medicine residents (expert group); (b) Family Medicine residents in their second year of the Family Medicine training program (novice group), and (c) Family Medicine physicians (intermediate group). The questionnaire will be administered before and after an educational intervention. The educational intervention will be an interactive four half-day sessions designed to develop the knowledge and skills required to EBP. Responsiveness statistics used in the analysis will be the effect size, the standardised response mean and Guyatt's method. For internal consistency reliability, two measures will be used: corrected item-total correlations and Cronbach's alpha. Inter-rater reliability will be tested using Kappa coefficient for qualitative items and intra-class correlation coefficient for quantitative items and the overall score. Construct validity, item difficulty, item discrimination and feasibility will be determined. The validation of the Fresno questionnaire into different languages will enable the expansion of the questionnaire, as well as allowing comparison between countries and the evaluation of different teaching models.

  19. [Academic and psycho-socio-familiar factors associated to anxiety and depression in university students. Reliability and validity of a questionnaire].

    PubMed

    Balanza Galindo, Serafín; Morales Moreno, Isabel; Guerrero Muñoz, Joaquín; Conesa Conesa, Ana

    2008-01-01

    The high frequency of anxiety and depression in university students is related to social, family factors and academic stress. The aim of this research is to determine the internal consistency and validity of a questionnaire on socio-familiar and academic situations which may be related to psychopathological situations in university students. The research was carried out at the Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia with 700 students, to whom a questionnaire made by the researchers was given. This questionnaire included items which evaluated academic and socio-familiar aspects. Variables regarding various stressful situations amongst students, and the Goldbergs level of anxiety and depression scale were used as independent facts of research in order to measure the validity of the questionnaire. The reliability of the questionnaire was shown after obtaining an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.819. The original questionnaire with 19 items was reduced to 15 items after the homogeneity analysis, obtaining a Cronbach alpha of 0.758. The validity of constructio was evaluated with the factor analysis of the questionnaire, with a result of two factors which represented academic aspects and socio-familiar aspects. Those students with a positive anxiety and depression test were the ones who obtained the higher score on the global questionnaire and in both factors, proving the validity of the criteria. The research questionnaire is an agile and easy to use tool for the assessment and early detection of anxiety and depression in university students.

  20. Development of the functional vision questionnaire for children and young people with visual impairment: the FVQ_CYP.

    PubMed

    Tadić, Valerija; Cooper, Andrew; Cumberland, Phillippa; Lewando-Hundt, Gillian; Rahi, Jugnoo S

    2013-12-01

    To develop a novel age-appropriate measure of functional vision (FV) for self-reporting by visually impaired (VI) children and young people. Questionnaire development. A representative patient sample of VI children and young people aged 10 to 15 years, visual acuity of the logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (logMAR) worse than 0.48, and a school-based (nonrandom) expert group sample of VI students aged 12 to 17 years. A total of 32 qualitative semistructured interviews supplemented by narrative feedback from 15 eligible VI children and young people were used to generate draft instrument items. Seventeen VI students were consulted individually on item relevance and comprehensibility, instrument instructions, format, and administration methods. The resulting draft instrument was piloted with 101 VI children and young people comprising a nationally representative sample, drawn from 21 hospitals in the United Kingdom. Initial item reduction was informed by presence of missing data and individual item response pattern. Exploratory factor analysis (FA) and parallel analysis (PA), and Rasch analysis (RA) were applied to test the instrument's psychometric properties. Psychometric indices and validity assessment of the Functional Vision Questionnaire for Children and Young People (FVQ_CYP). A total of 712 qualitative statements became a 56-item draft scale, capturing the level of difficulty in performing vision-dependent activities. After piloting, items were removed iteratively as follows: 11 for high percentage of missing data, 4 for skewness, and 1 for inadequate item infit and outfit values in RA, 3 having shown differential item functioning across age groups and 1 across gender in RA. The remaining 36 items showed item fit values within acceptable limits, good measurement precision and targeting, and ordered response categories. The reduced scale has a clear unidimensional structure, with all items having a high factor loading on the single factor in FA and PA. The summary scores correlated significantly with visual acuity. We have developed a novel, psychometrically robust self-report questionnaire for children and young people-the FVQ_CYP-that captures the functional impact of visual disability from their perspective. The 36-item, 4-point unidimensional scale has potential as a complementary adjunct to objective clinical assessments in routine pediatric ophthalmology practice and in research. Copyright © 2013 American Academy of Ophthalmology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. EORTC QLQ-COMU26: a questionnaire for the assessment of communication between patients and professionals. Phase III of the module development in ten countries.

    PubMed

    Arraras, Juan Ignacio; Wintner, Lisa M; Sztankay, Monika; Tomaszewski, Krzysztof A; Hofmeister, Dirk; Costantini, Anna; Bredart, Anne; Young, Teresa; Kuljanic, Karin; Tomaszewska, Iwona M; Kontogianni, Meropi; Chie, Wei-Chu; Kulis, Dagmara; Greimel, Eva

    2017-05-01

    Communication between patients and professionals is one major aspect of the support offered to cancer patients. The European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) Quality of Life Group (QLG) has developed a cancer-specific instrument for the measurement of different issues related to the communication between cancer patients and their health care professionals. Questionnaire development followed the EORTC QLG Module Development Guidelines. A provisional questionnaire was pre-tested (phase III) in a multicenter study within ten countries from five cultural areas (Northern and South Europe, UK, Poland and Taiwan). Patients from seven subgroups (before, during and after treatment, for localized and advanced disease each, plus palliative patients) were recruited. Structured interviews were conducted. Qualitative and quantitative analyses have been performed. One hundred forty patients were interviewed. Nine items were deleted and one shortened. Patients' comments had a key role in item selection. No item was deleted due to just quantitative criteria. Consistency was observed in patients' answers across cultural areas. The revised version of the module EORTC QLQ-COMU26 has 26 items, organized in 6 scales and 4 individual items. The EORTC COMU26 questionnaire can be used in daily clinical practice and research, in various patient groups from different cultures. The next step will be an international field test with a large heterogeneous group of cancer patients.

  2. Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Shortened Version of the Zuckerman–Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire in a Sample of Adolescents and Young Adults

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Daoyang; Hu, Mingming; Zheng, Chanjin; Liu, Zhengguang

    2017-01-01

    Introduction: The original 89-item Zuckerman–Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (form III Revised, ZKPQ-III-R) is a widely accepted and used self-report measure for personality traits. This study assessed the reliability and construct validity of the Chinese short 46-item version of the ZKPQ-III-R in a sample of adolescents and young adults. Methodology: A total of 1,019 Chinese adolescents and young adults completed the Chinese version of the original 89-item version ZKPQ-III-R and short 46-item version ZKPQ-III-R, self-report measures of depression, life satisfaction, and subjective health complaints (SHC), the Big Five personality traits, and a substance use risk profile. We explored the internal consistency of five dimensions of the short 46-item version ZKPQ-III-R and compared it with observations in previous studies of Chinese and other populations. The structure of the questionnaire was analyzed by confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modeling. Results: The short 46-item version ZKPQ-III-R had adequate internal reliability for all five dimensions, with Cronbach’s α coefficients of 0.63 to 0.84. The concurrent validity of the short 46-item version ZKPQ-III-R was supported by significant correlations with depression, life satisfaction, and SHC. The short 46-item version ZKPQ-III-R had better fit, similar reliability coefficients, and slightly better construct and convergent validity than the 89-item version. Conclusion: The Chinese version of the 46-item ZKPQ-III-R presented reliability and validity in measuring personality in Chinese adolescents and young adults. PMID:28326057

  3. Development and validation of a vision-specific quality-of-life questionnaire for Timor-Leste.

    PubMed

    du Toit, Rènée; Palagyi, Anna; Ramke, Jacqueline; Brian, Garry; Lamoureux, Ecosse L

    2008-10-01

    To develop and determine the reliability and validity of a vision-specific quality-of-life instrument (TL-VSQOL) designed to assess the impact of distance and near vision impairment in adults living in Timor-Leste. A vision-specific quality-of-life questionnaire was developed, piloted, and administered to 704 Timorese aged >or=40 years during a population-based eye health rapid assessment. Rasch analysis was performed on the data of 457 participants with presenting near vision worse than N8 (78.5%) and/or distance vision worse than 6/18 (69.8%). Unidimensionality, item fit to the model, response category performance, differential item functioning, and targeting of items to participants were assessed. Initially, the questionnaire lacked fit to the Rasch model. Removal of two items concerning emotional well-being resulted in a fit of the data (overall item-trait interaction: chi(2) (df) = 81 (51); mean (SD) person and item fit residual values: -0.30 (1.02) and -0.32 (1.46), and good targeting of person ability and item difficulty was evident. Poorer distance and near visual acuities were significantly associated with worse quality-of-life scores (P < 0.001). Person separation reliability was substantial (0.93), indicating that the instrument can discriminate between groups with normal and impaired vision. All 17 items were free of differential item functioning, and there was no evidence of multidimensionality. This 17-item TL-VSQOL has high reliability, construct, and criterion validity and effective targeting. It can effectively assess the impact on quality of life of adult Timorese with distance and near vision impairment. The TL-VSQOL could be adapted for use in other low-resource settings.

  4. Validation of a General and Sport Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire in Adolescents and Young Adults: GeSNK.

    PubMed

    Calella, Patrizia; Iacullo, Vittorio Maria; Valerio, Giuliana

    2017-04-29

    Good knowledge of nutrition is widely thought to be an important aspect to maintaining a balanced and healthy diet. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a new reliable tool to measure the general and the sport nutrition knowledge (GeSNK) in people who used to practice sports at different levels. The development of (GeSNK) was carried out in six phases as follows: (1) item development and selection by a panel of experts; (2) pilot study in order to assess item difficulty and item discrimination; (3) measurement of the internal consistency; (4) reliability assessment with a 2-week test-retest analysis; (5) concurrent validity was tested by administering the questionnaire along with other two similar tools; (6) construct validity by administering the questionnaire to three groups of young adults with different general nutrition and sport nutrition knowledge. The final questionnaire, consisted of 62 items of the original 183 questions. It is a consistent, valid, and suitable instrument that can be applied over time, making it a promising tool to look at the relationship between nutrition knowledge, demographic characteristics, and dietary behavior in adolescents and young adults.

  5. Validity and reliability of a Swedish questionnaire for assessing satisfaction with housing and housing support for persons with psychiatric disabilities.

    PubMed

    Brolin, Rosita; Rask, Mikael; Syrén, Susanne; Brunt, David Arthur

    2013-10-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the reliability and validity of a questionnaire for studying satisfaction with housing and housing support for people with psychiatric disabilities. Most items were gathered from English language questionnaires. These were translated and adapted to a Swedish context and items concerning housing support were added. Two studies were conducted. The first, a test-retest reliability analysis, was performed in a pilot study with 53 participants; in the second study, which had 370 participants, a five factor solution with good internal consistency emerged. Further development of the questionnaire is discussed.

  6. 10 CFR 32.16 - Certain items containing byproduct material: Records and reports of transfer.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

    2010-01-01

    ... reports of transfer. 32.16 Section 32.16 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION SPECIFIC DOMESTIC LICENSES TO MANUFACTURE OR TRANSFER CERTAIN ITEMS CONTAINING BYPRODUCT MATERIAL Exempt Concentrations and Items § 32.16 Certain items containing byproduct material: Records and reports of transfer. (a) Each...

  7. 10 CFR 32.16 - Certain items containing byproduct material: Records and reports of transfer.

    Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

    2011-01-01

    ... reports of transfer. 32.16 Section 32.16 Energy NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION SPECIFIC DOMESTIC LICENSES TO MANUFACTURE OR TRANSFER CERTAIN ITEMS CONTAINING BYPRODUCT MATERIAL Exempt Concentrations and Items § 32.16 Certain items containing byproduct material: Records and reports of transfer. (a) Each...

  8. A Kaleidoscope of Understanding: Pre-service Elementary Teachers' Knowledge of Climate Change Concepts and Impacts

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Hayhoe, D.; Bullock, S.; Hayhoe, K.

    2010-12-01

    Teachers are at the forefront of efforts to increase climate literacy; however, even teachers’ understanding can contain significant misconceptions. Probes aimed at capturing these misconceptions have been used with pre-service teachers in several countries. Here, we report on a unique 59-item questionnaire useful as a pre-post diagnostic for teacher training. Topics include Earth’s climate system, long-range climatic changes, recent changes, various gases and types of radiation involved in the greenhouse effect, future impacts of climate change, and mitigation options This questionnaire is unique in three ways: 1. the topics include climate change concepts not usually probed, 2. the questions have a binary-choice format that avoided both the “positive statement bias” of agree-disagree questions and the superfluous distractors of multiple-choice tests, and 3. the questionnaire was piloted with pre-service elementary teachers in Toronto, one of the most multicultural cities in the world. The questionnaire items were written for the Ontario curriculum (K-10); however, they also address almost all of the principles identified in Climate Literacy: The Essential Principles of Climate Science. The questionnaire was completed by 89 volunteers from a pool of 280. Most had a substantial knowledge of climate change concepts, with 34 of the 59 questions being answered correctly by more than 60% of the subjects. The item discrimination of most questions was relatively low, however, and only a very few item pairs showed a significant correlation. This suggests that subjects’ knowledge consisted of a “kaleidoscope of understanding,” rather than a coherent picture. Significant misconceptions were also identified, with 18 of the 59 items being answered incorrectly by more than 60% of the subjects. Of these, 11 correspond to misconceptions previously noted, while 7 suggest new misconceptions not yet identified in studies done with students or teachers, such as the idea that most of the Sun’s radiant energy is concentrated in the infrared part rather than in the visible part of the spectrum (92%), the amount of energy that Earth’s system radiates into outer space every day is much less than the amount of energy it receives from the Sun every day (65%), and waste heat resulting from human use of fossil fuel contributes significantly to global warming (82%). On the other hand, the pre-service teachers understood well several other important concepts such as the fact that Earth’s surface continues to give off radiation at night (94%) and that Earth’s climate has varied in long-period natural cycles (92%). These findings have several implications for the teaching of climate change concepts to elementary pre-service teachers: 1. the coherence between concepts taken from various sciences should be emphasized, 2. the concepts that are (surprisingly) understood well by a great majority of teachers should be built upon, and 3. activities should be developed to address the many misconceptions that continue to persist in pre-service elementary teachers’ understanding.

  9. Revision and psychometric testing of the City of Hope Quality of Life-Ostomy Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Grant, Marcia; Ferrell, Betty; Dean, Grace; Uman, Gwen; Chu, David; Krouse, Robert

    2004-10-01

    Ostomies may be performed for bowel or urinary diversion, and occur in both cancer and non-cancer patients. Impact on physical, psychological, social and spiritual well-being is not unexpected, but has been minimally described in the literature. The City of Hope Quality of Life (COH-QOL)-Ostomy Questionnaire is an adult patient self-report instrument designed to assess quality of life. This report focuses on the revision and psychometric testing of this questionnaire. The revised COH-QOL-Ostomy Questionnaire involved in-depth patient interviews and expert panel review. The format consisted of a 13-item disease and demographic section, a 34-item forced-choice section, and a 41-item linear analogue scaled section. A mailed survey to California members of the United Ostomy Association resulted in a 62% response rate (n = 1513). Factor analysis was conducted to refine the instrument. Construct validity involved testing a number of hypotheses identifying contrasting groups. Factor analysis confirmed the conceptual framework. Reliability of subscales ranged from 0.77 to 0.90. The questionnaire discriminated between subpopulations with specific concerns. Overall, the analyses provide evidence for the validity and reliability of the COH-QOL-Ostomy Questionnaire as a comprehensive, multidimensional self-report questionnaire for measuring quality of life in patients with intestinal ostomies.

  10. Development and validation of Iranian children’s participation assessment scale

    PubMed Central

    Amini, Malek; Hassani Mehraban, Afsoon; Haghni, Hamid; Asgharnezhad, Ali Asghar; Khayatzadeh Mahani, Mohammad

    2016-01-01

    Background: Participation is mostly cultural and familial based, and there is not any assessment scales for evaluating kids’ participation in Iranian context, therefore the purpose of this study was developing children’s participation assessment scale for Iranian children. Methods: Development of this scale occurred in two phases; phase I: planning: following reviewing the literature and adopting and compiling some items of available evaluation tools in the area (such as CAPE, CPQ, CLASS, Life-H) and receiving advice from two expert panels, the preliminary94- item questionnaire was prepared. Phase II: construct: the survey study was carried out on40 children and 21 of their parents to assess the popularity of the activity in Iran; thus, the items of the questionnaire reduced to 92 and after face and content validity, the final version prepared with 71 items. Results: The final 71-item questionnaire was developed in two parent-report and child-report versions. The 71 items based on the literature and expert panels’ advice were categorized in 8 areas of occupation according to Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (ADL, IADL, Play, leisure, social participation, education, work, and sleep/rest). Conclusion: Iranian children’s participation assessment is a useful and culturally relevant tool to measure participation of Iranian children. It can be used in rigorous clinical and population-based research. PMID:27390703

  11. Development, Construction, and Content Validation of a Questionnaire to Test Mobile Shower Commode Usability

    PubMed Central

    Theodoros, Deborah G.; Russell, Trevor G.

    2015-01-01

    Background: Usability is an emerging domain of outcomes measurement in assistive technology provision. Currently, no questionnaires exist to test the usability of mobile shower commodes (MSCs) used by adults with spinal cord injury (SCI). Objective: To describe the development, construction, and initial content validation of an electronic questionnaire to test mobile shower commode usability for this population. Methods: The questionnaire was constructed using a mixed-methods approach in 5 phases: determining user preferences for the questionnaire’s format, developing an item bank of usability indicators from the literature and judgement of experts, constructing a preliminary questionnaire, assessing content validity with a panel of experts, and constructing the final questionnaire. Results: The electronic Mobile Shower Commode Assessment Tool Version 1.0 (eMAST 1.0) questionnaire tests MSC features and performance during activities identified using a mixed-methods approach and in consultation with users. It confirms that usability is complex and multidimensional. The final questionnaire contains 25 questions in 3 sections. The eMAST 1.0 demonstrates excellent content validity as determined by a small sample of expert clinicians. Conclusion: The eMAST 1.0 tests usability of MSCs from the perspective of adults with SCI and may be used to solicit feedback during MSC design, assessment, prescription, and ongoing use. Further studies assessing the eMAST’s psychometric properties, including studies with users of MSCs, are needed. PMID:25762862

  12. Validation of the Gratitude Questionnaire in Filipino Secondary School Students.

    PubMed

    Valdez, Jana Patricia M; Yang, Weipeng; Datu, Jesus Alfonso D

    2017-10-11

    Most studies have assessed the psychometric properties of the Gratitude Questionnaire - Six-Item Form (GQ-6) in the Western contexts while very few research has been generated to explore the applicability of this scale in non-Western settings. To address this gap, the aim of the study was to examine the factorial validity and gender invariance of the Gratitude Questionnaire in the Philippines through a construct validation approach. There were 383 Filipino high school students who participated in the research. In terms of within-network construct validity, results of confirmatory factor analyses revealed that the five-item version of the questionnaire (GQ-5) had better fit compared to the original six-item version of the gratitude questionnaire. The scores from the GQ-5 also exhibited invariance across gender. Between-network construct validation showed that gratitude was associated with higher levels of academic achievement (β = .46, p <.001), autonomous motivation (β = .73, p <.001), and controlled motivation (β = .28, p <.01). Conversely, gratitude was linked to lower degree of amotivation (β = -.51, p <.001). Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

  13. Calibrating well-being, quality of life and common mental disorder items: psychometric epidemiology in public mental health research.

    PubMed

    Böhnke, Jan R; Croudace, Tim J

    2016-08-01

    The assessment of 'general health and well-being' in public mental health research stimulates debates around relative merits of questionnaire instruments and their items. Little evidence regarding alignment or differential advantages of instruments or items has appeared to date. Population-based psychometric study of items employed in public mental health narratives. Multidimensional item response theory was applied to General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) and EQ-5D items (Health Survey for England, 2010-2012; n = 19 290). A bifactor model provided the best account of the data and showed that the GHQ-12 and WEMWBS items assess mainly the same construct. Only one item of the EQ-5D showed relevant overlap with this dimension (anxiety/depression). Findings were corroborated by comparisons with alternative models and cross-validation analyses. The consequences of this lack of differentiation (GHQ-12 v. WEMWBS) for mental health and well-being narratives deserves discussion to enrich debates on priorities in public mental health and its assessment. © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2015.

  14. [Development and validation of a questionnaire on knowledge and personal hygiene habits in childhood (HICORIN®)].

    PubMed

    Moreno-Martínez, Francisco José; Ruzafa-Martínez, María; Ramos-Morcillo, Antonio Jesús; Gómez García, Carmen Isabel; Hernández-Susarte, Ana María

    2015-01-01

    To develop and validate a questionnaire on the integral assessment of the habits and knowledge in personal hygiene in children between 7 to 12 years old in the educational, social and health environment. Cross-sectional study for the validation of a questionnaire. One primary and secondary school and one children's home in the Region of Murcia, Spain. A total of 86 children were included (80 from a primary and secondary school; 6 from a children's home), as well as 7 experts. Content validation by experts; qualitative assessment; identify difficulties related to some questions, item response analysis, and test-retest reliability. After the literature search, 20 tools that included items related to child body hygiene were obtained. The researchers selected 34 items and drafted 48 additional ones. After content validity by the experts, the questionnaire (HICORIN®) was reduced to 63 items, and consisted of 7 dimensions of child personal hygiene (skin, hair, hands, oral, feet, ears, and intimate hygiene). After with the children some terms were adapted to improve their understanding. Only two items had non-response rates that exceeded 10%. The test-retest showed that 84.1% of the items had between very good and moderate reliability. HICORIN® is a reliable and valid instrument that integrally assesses the habits and knowledge in personal hygiene in children between 7-12 years old. It is applicable in educative and social and health environments and in children from different socioeconomic levels. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  15. Assessing quality of maternity care in Hungary: expert validation and testing of the mother-centered prenatal care (MCPC) survey instrument.

    PubMed

    Rubashkin, Nicholas; Szebik, Imre; Baji, Petra; Szántó, Zsuzsa; Susánszky, Éva; Vedam, Saraswathi

    2017-11-16

    Instruments to assess quality of maternity care in Central and Eastern European (CEE) region are scarce, despite reports of poor doctor-patient communication, non-evidence-based care, and informal cash payments. We validated and tested an online questionnaire to study maternity care experiences among Hungarian women. Following literature review, we collated validated items and scales from two previous English-language surveys and adapted them to the Hungarian context. An expert panel assessed items for clarity and relevance on a 4-point ordinal scale. We calculated item-level Content Validation Index (CVI) scores. We designed 9 new items concerning informal cash payments, as well as 7 new "model of care" categories based on mode of payment. The final questionnaire (N = 111 items) was tested in two samples of Hungarian women, representative (N = 600) and convenience (N = 657). We conducted bivariate analysis and thematic analysis of open-ended responses. Experts rated pre-existing English-language items as clear and relevant to Hungarian women's maternity care experiences with an average CVI for included questions of 0.97. Significant differences emerged across the model of care categories in terms of informal payments, informed consent practices, and women's perceptions of autonomy. Thematic analysis (N = 1015) of women's responses identified 13 priority areas of the maternity care experience, 9 of which were addressed by the questionnaire. We developed and validated a comprehensive questionnaire that can be used to evaluate respectful maternity care, evidence-based practice, and informal cash payments in CEE region and beyond.

  16. Rasch analysis of the Trypophobia Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Imaizumi, Shu; Tanno, Yoshihiko

    2018-02-14

    This study aimed to assess Rasch-based psychometric properties of the Trypophobia Questionnaire measuring proneness to trypophobia, which refers to disgust and unpleasantness induced by the observation of clusters of objects (e.g., lotus seed pods). Rasch analysis was performed on data from 582 healthy Japanese adults. The results suggested that Trypophobia Questionnaire has a unidimensional structure with ordered response categories and sufficient person and item reliabilities, and that it does not have differential item functioning across sexes and age groups, whereas the targeting of the scale leaves room for improvements. When items that did not fit the Rasch model were removed, the shortened version showed slightly improved psychometric properties. However, results were not conclusive in determining whether the full or shortened version is better for practical use. Further assessment and validation are needed.

  17. ViDa1: The Development and Validation of a New Questionnaire for Measuring Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes

    PubMed Central

    Alvarado-Martel, Dácil; Ruiz Fernández, M. Angeles; Cuadrado Vigaray, Maribel; Carrillo, Armando; Boronat, Mauro; Expósito Montesdeoca, Ana; Nattero Chávez, Lía; Pozuelo Sánchez, Maite; López Quevedo, Pino; Santana Suárez, Ana D.; Hillman, Natalia; Subias, David; Martin Vaquero, Pilar; Sáez de Ibarra, Lourdes; Mauricio, Didac; de Pablos-Velasco, Pedro; Nóvoa, Francisco J.; Wägner, Ana M.

    2017-01-01

    This study describes the development of a new questionnaire to measure health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with type 1 diabetes (the ViDa1 questionnaire) and provides information on its psychometric properties. For its development, open interviews with patients took place and topics relevant to patients' HRQoL were identified and items were generated. Qualitative analysis of items, expert review, and refinement of the questionnaire followed. A pilot study (N = 150) was conducted to explore the underlying structure of the 40-item ViDa1 questionnaire. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was performed and six of the items that did not load on any of the factors were eliminated. The results supported a four-dimensional structure for ViDa1, the dimensions being Interference of diabetes in everyday life, Self-care, Well-being, and Worry about the disease. Subsequently, the PCA was repeated in a larger sample (N = 578) with the reduced 34-item version of the questionnaire, and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was performed (N = 428). Overall fit indices obtained presented adequate values which supported the four-factor model initially proposed [(χ(df=554)2= 2601.93) (p < 0.001); Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.060 (CI = 0.056 −0.064)]. As regards reliability, the four dimensions of the ViDa1 demonstrated good internal consistency, with Cronbach's alphas ranging between 0.71 and 0.86. Evidence of convergent-discriminant validity in the form of high correlations with another specific HRQoL questionnaire for diabetes and low correlations with other constructs such as self-efficacy, anxiety, and depression were presented. The ViDa1 also discriminated between different aspects of clinical interest such as type of insulin treatment, presence of chronic complications, and glycemic control, temporal stability, and sensitivity to change after an intervention. In conclusion, the ViDa1 questionnaire presents adequate psychometric properties and may represent a good alternative for the evaluation of HRQoL in type 1 diabetes. PMID:28620331

  18. A Brief Survey of Patients' First Impression after CPAP Titration Predicts Future CPAP Adherence: A Pilot Study

    PubMed Central

    Balachandran, Jay S.; Yu, Xiaohong; Wroblewski, Kristen; Mokhlesi, Babak

    2013-01-01

    Background: CPAP adherence patterns are often established very early in the course of therapy. Our objective was to quantify patients' perception of CPAP therapy using a 6-item questionnaire administered in the morning following CPAP titration. We hypothesized that questionnaire responses would independently predict CPAP adherence during the first 30 days of therapy. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the CPAP perception questionnaires of 403 CPAP-naïve adults who underwent in-laboratory titration and who had daily CPAP adherence data available for the first 30 days of therapy. Responses to the CPAP perception questionnaire were analyzed for their association with mean CPAP adherence and with changes in daily CPAP adherence over 30 days. Results: Patients were aged 52 ± 14 years, 53% were women, 54% were African American, the mean body mass index (BMI) was 36.3 ± 9.1 kg/m2, and most patients had moderate-severe OSA. Four of 6 items from the CPAP perception questionnaire— regarding difficulty tolerating CPAP, discomfort with CPAP pressure, likelihood of wearing CPAP, and perceived health benefit—were significantly correlated with mean 30-day CPAP adherence, and a composite score from these 4 questions was found to be internally consistent. Stepwise linear regression modeling demonstrated that 3 variables were significant and independent predictors of reduced mean CPAP adherence: worse score on the 4-item questionnaire, African American race, and non-sleep specialist ordering polysomnogram and CPAP therapy. Furthermore, a worse score on the 4-item CPAP perception questionnaire was consistently associated with decreased mean daily CPAP adherence over the first 30 days of therapy. Conclusions: In this pilot study, responses to a 4-item CPAP perception questionnaire administered to patients immediately following CPAP titration independently predicted mean CPAP adherence during the first 30 days. Further prospective validation of this questionnaire in different patient populations is warranted. Commentary: A commentary on this article appears in this issue on page 207. Citation: Balachandran JS; Yu X; Wroblewski K; Mokhlesi B. A brief survey of patients' first impression after CPAP titration predicts future CPAP adherence: a pilot study. J Clin Sleep Med 2013;9(3):199-205. PMID:23493772

  19. ISYQOL: a Rasch-consistent questionnaire for measuring health-related quality of life in adolescents with spinal deformities.

    PubMed

    Caronni, Antonio; Sciumè, Luciana; Donzelli, Sabrina; Zaina, Fabio; Negrini, Stefano

    2017-09-01

    Spinal deformities are commonly associated with poor health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Several questionnaires (eg, Scoliosis Research Society-24 [SRS-24] and Scoliosis Research Society-22 [SRS-22]) have been developed to evaluate HRQOL in these conditions. In adults as well as during growth, the HRQOL is considered one of the most relevant outcomes of both conservative and surgical treatments. Rasch analysis is a powerful statistical technique for developing high-quality and valid questionnaires. The SRS-24 and SRS-22 have been evaluated using the Rasch analysis but showed poor measurement properties. Thus, a proper measure of HRQOL in people with a spine condition is still missing. This study aimed to develop a new questionnaire that is totally Rasch consistent for measuring the HRQOL in young people with a spine condition. This is a cross-sectional study for developing a new HRQOL measure. A total of 402 participants with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis or Scheuermann juvenile kyphosis were included in the study. The outcome measure used was the Italian Spine Youth Quality of Life (ISYQOL) questionnaire. The study consisted of different stages: a conventional approach content analysis, an opinion poll among clinicians trained in spine deformities, and the Rasch analysis (partial credit model). The Rasch analysis showed that all items of the ISYQOL questionnaire had ordered thresholds and a good fit to the model. Differential item functioning was present for Item 1, with bracing only, and was solved with a conventional items splitting procedure. The ISYQOL item map spans an adequate range of HRQOL. The principal component analysis for Rasch residuals showed, in practical terms, the ISYQOL unidimensionality. The reliability of ISYQOL was high enough so that approximately three significantly different levels of HRQOL could be discerned. Two questionnaire versions were provided for patients with and without the brace, respectively. ISYQOL is the first HRQOL questionnaire developed according to the Rasch analysis. It was developed in a conservative treatment setting for all types of spinal deformities, including also patients with surgical curves. Validation in many languages is already under way. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. ViDa1: The Development and Validation of a New Questionnaire for Measuring Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes.

    PubMed

    Alvarado-Martel, Dácil; Ruiz Fernández, M Angeles; Cuadrado Vigaray, Maribel; Carrillo, Armando; Boronat, Mauro; Expósito Montesdeoca, Ana; Nattero Chávez, Lía; Pozuelo Sánchez, Maite; López Quevedo, Pino; Santana Suárez, Ana D; Hillman, Natalia; Subias, David; Martin Vaquero, Pilar; Sáez de Ibarra, Lourdes; Mauricio, Didac; de Pablos-Velasco, Pedro; Nóvoa, Francisco J; Wägner, Ana M

    2017-01-01

    This study describes the development of a new questionnaire to measure health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in patients with type 1 diabetes (the ViDa1 questionnaire) and provides information on its psychometric properties. For its development, open interviews with patients took place and topics relevant to patients' HRQoL were identified and items were generated. Qualitative analysis of items, expert review, and refinement of the questionnaire followed. A pilot study ( N = 150) was conducted to explore the underlying structure of the 40-item ViDa1 questionnaire. A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was performed and six of the items that did not load on any of the factors were eliminated. The results supported a four-dimensional structure for ViDa1, the dimensions being Interference of diabetes in everyday life, Self-care, Well-being, and Worry about the disease. Subsequently, the PCA was repeated in a larger sample ( N = 578) with the reduced 34-item version of the questionnaire, and a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) was performed ( N = 428). Overall fit indices obtained presented adequate values which supported the four-factor model initially proposed [([Formula: see text] 2601.93) ( p < 0.001); Root Mean Square Error of Approximation = 0.060 (CI = 0.056 -0.064)]. As regards reliability, the four dimensions of the ViDa1 demonstrated good internal consistency, with Cronbach's alphas ranging between 0.71 and 0.86. Evidence of convergent-discriminant validity in the form of high correlations with another specific HRQoL questionnaire for diabetes and low correlations with other constructs such as self-efficacy, anxiety, and depression were presented. The ViDa1 also discriminated between different aspects of clinical interest such as type of insulin treatment, presence of chronic complications, and glycemic control, temporal stability, and sensitivity to change after an intervention. In conclusion, the ViDa1 questionnaire presents adequate psychometric properties and may represent a good alternative for the evaluation of HRQoL in type 1 diabetes.

  1. Stress, health and satisfaction of Australian and German doctors--a comparative study.

    PubMed

    Mache, Stefanie; Vitzthum, Karin; Klapp, Burghard F; Groneberg, David A

    2012-01-01

    Currently no study exists focusing on international differences in perception of stress, working conditions and satisfaction of hospital staff. Therefore the present study aimed to examine and compare the work and privacy situation of Australian and German physicians. The present study was designed as a cross-sectional comparison using questionnaire data. The population consisted of representative samples of 310 German and 256 Australian hospital doctors who received mailed questionnaires. The questionnaires contained items on demography, perception of stress, working conditions, job satisfaction and Life satisfaction. According to the comparison, German physicians perceived higher values of work stress. They work significantly longer hours than Australian doctors. In general, work intensity and demands are highly rated in both countries. In terms of job and life satisfaction, Australian doctors responded more positively than German doctors. This is the first comparative study illustrating a subjective evaluation of physicians' perception of stress, their work and privacy situation in two different countries. Based on these results health policy decisions can be developed.

  2. Psychometric testing of the healthy eating and physical activity self-efficacy questionnaire and the healthy eating and physical activity behavior recall questionnaire for children.

    PubMed

    Lassetter, Jane H; Macintosh, Christopher I; Williams, Mary; Driessnack, Martha; Ray, Gaye; Wisco, Jonathan J

    2018-04-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop and assess the psychometric properties for two related questionnaires: the Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (HEPASEQ-C) and the Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Behavior Recall Questionnaire for Children (HEPABRQ-C). HEPASEQ-C and HEPABRQ-C were administered to 517 participating children with 492 completing. Data were analyzed to evaluate for reliability and validity of the questionnaires. Content validity was established through a 10-person expert panel. For the HEPASEQ-C, item content validity index (CVI) ranged from 0.80 to 1.00. The CVI for the total questionnaire was 1.0. All HEPASEQ-C items loaded on a single factor. Cronbach's alpha was deemed acceptable (.749). For the HEPABRQ-C, item CVI ranged from 0.88 to 1.00. CVI for the total questionnaire was 1.0. Pearson product moment correlation between HEPASEQ-C and HEPABRQ-C scores was significant (r = .501, p = .000). The HEPASEQ-C and HEPABRQ-C are easily administered and provide helpful insights into children's self-efficacy and behavior recall. They are easy to use and applicable for upper elementary school settings, in clinical settings for individual patients, and in health promotion settings. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Risk management for outsourcing biomedical waste disposal - using the failure mode and effects analysis.

    PubMed

    Liao, Ching-Jong; Ho, Chao Chung

    2014-07-01

    Using the failure mode and effects analysis, this study examined biomedical waste companies through risk assessment. Moreover, it evaluated the supervisors of biomedical waste units in hospitals, and factors relating to the outsourcing risk assessment of biomedical waste in hospitals by referring to waste disposal acts. An expert questionnaire survey was conducted on the personnel involved in waste disposal units in hospitals, in order to identify important factors relating to the outsourcing risk of biomedical waste in hospitals. This study calculated the risk priority number (RPN) and selected items with an RPN value higher than 80 for improvement. These items included "availability of freezing devices", "availability of containers for sharp items", "disposal frequency", "disposal volume", "disposal method", "vehicles meeting the regulations", and "declaration of three lists". This study also aimed to identify important selection factors of biomedical waste disposal companies by hospitals in terms of risk. These findings can serve as references for hospitals in the selection of outsourcing companies for biomedical waste disposal. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Thermal Adaptation Methods of Urban Plaza Users in Asia's Hot-Humid Regions: A Taiwan Case Study.

    PubMed

    Wu, Chen-Fa; Hsieh, Yen-Fen; Ou, Sheng-Jung

    2015-10-27

    Thermal adaptation studies provide researchers great insight to help understand how people respond to thermal discomfort. This research aims to assess outdoor urban plaza conditions in hot and humid regions of Asia by conducting an evaluation of thermal adaptation. We also propose that questionnaire items are appropriate for determining thermal adaptation strategies adopted by urban plaza users. A literature review was conducted and first hand data collected by field observations and interviews used to collect information on thermal adaptation strategies. Item analysis--Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)--were applied to refine the questionnaire items and determine the reliability of the questionnaire evaluation procedure. The reliability and validity of items and constructing process were also analyzed. Then, researchers facilitated an evaluation procedure for assessing the thermal adaptation strategies of urban plaza users in hot and humid regions of Asia and formulated a questionnaire survey that was distributed in Taichung's Municipal Plaza in Taiwan. Results showed that most users responded with behavioral adaptation when experiencing thermal discomfort. However, if the thermal discomfort could not be alleviated, they then adopted psychological strategies. In conclusion, the evaluation procedure for assessing thermal adaptation strategies and the questionnaire developed in this study can be applied to future research on thermal adaptation strategies adopted by urban plaza users in hot and humid regions of Asia.

  5. Development and initial validation of the interprofessional team learning profiling questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Nisbet, Gillian; Dunn, Stewart; Lincoln, Michelle; Shaw, Joanne

    2016-05-01

    Informal workplace interprofessional learning occurs as health professionals interact with each other as part of everyday work practice. Participation in interprofessional team meetings is a practical way to foster learning. However, a gap exists in the availability of a reliable and valid instrument that adequately captures the nuances of informal workplace interprofessional learning in this setting. The purpose of this study was to develop a questionnaire to measure the different components of interprofessional learning that contribute to the quality of interprofessional learning within the interprofessional team meeting. Questionnaire items were developed from a review of the literature and interviews with health professionals. Exploratory factor analysis was used to determine the underlying factor structure. Two hundred and eighty-five health professionals completed a 98-item questionnaire. After elimination of unreliable items, the remaining items (n = 41) loaded onto four factors named personal and professional capacity; turning words into action-"walk the talk"; the rhetoric of interprofessional learning-"talk the talk"; and inclusiveness. Internal consistency was high for all sub-scales (Cronbach's alpha 0.91, 0.87, 0.83, and 0.83, respectively). Content, construct, and concurrent validity were assessed. The instrument developed in this study indicated consistency and robust psychometric properties. Future studies that further test the psychometric properties of the questionnaire will help to establish the usefulness of this measure in establishing evidence for the perceived effectiveness of interprofessional learning in a healthcare setting.

  6. Development of a questionnaire for assessing factors predicting blood donation among university students: a pilot study.

    PubMed

    Jalalian, Mehrdad; Latiff, Latiffah; Hassan, Syed Tajuddin Syed; Hanachi, Parichehr; Othman, Mohamed

    2010-05-01

    University students are a target group for blood donor programs. To develop a blood donation culture among university students, it is important to identify factors used to predict their intent to donate blood. This study attempted to develop a valid and reliable measurement tool to be employed in assessing variables in a blood donation behavior model based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), a commonly used theoretical foundation for social psychology studies. We employed an elicitation study, in which we determined the commonly held behavioral and normative beliefs about blood donation. We used the results of the elicitation study and a standard format for creating questionnaire items for all constructs of the TPB model to prepare the first draft of the measurement tool. After piloting the questionnaire, we prepared the final draft of the questionnaire to be used in our main study. Examination of internal consistency using Chronbach's alpha coefficient and item-total statistics indicated the constructs "Intention" and "Self efficacy" had the highest reliability. Removing one item from each of the constructs, "Attitude," "Subjective norm," "Self efficacy," or "Behavioral beliefs", can considerably increase the reliability of the measurement tool, however, such action is controversial, especially for the variables "attitude" and "subjective norm." We consider all the items of our first draft questionnaire in our main study to make it a reliable measurement tool.

  7. Thermal Adaptation Methods of Urban Plaza Users in Asia’s Hot-Humid Regions: A Taiwan Case Study

    PubMed Central

    Wu, Chen-Fa; Hsieh, Yen-Fen; Ou, Sheng-Jung

    2015-01-01

    Thermal adaptation studies provide researchers great insight to help understand how people respond to thermal discomfort. This research aims to assess outdoor urban plaza conditions in hot and humid regions of Asia by conducting an evaluation of thermal adaptation. We also propose that questionnaire items are appropriate for determining thermal adaptation strategies adopted by urban plaza users. A literature review was conducted and first hand data collected by field observations and interviews used to collect information on thermal adaptation strategies. Item analysis—Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA)—were applied to refine the questionnaire items and determine the reliability of the questionnaire evaluation procedure. The reliability and validity of items and constructing process were also analyzed. Then, researchers facilitated an evaluation procedure for assessing the thermal adaptation strategies of urban plaza users in hot and humid regions of Asia and formulated a questionnaire survey that was distributed in Taichung’s Municipal Plaza in Taiwan. Results showed that most users responded with behavioral adaptation when experiencing thermal discomfort. However, if the thermal discomfort could not be alleviated, they then adopted psychological strategies. In conclusion, the evaluation procedure for assessing thermal adaptation strategies and the questionnaire developed in this study can be applied to future research on thermal adaptation strategies adopted by urban plaza users in hot and humid regions of Asia. PMID:26516881

  8. Development and preliminary evaluation of the OsteoArthritis Questionnaire (OA-Quest): a psychometric study.

    PubMed

    Busija, L; Buchbinder, R; Osborne, R H

    2016-08-01

    This study reports the development of the OsteoArthritis Questionnaire (OA-Quest) - a new measure designed to comprehensively capture the potentially modifiable burden of osteoarthritis. Item development was guided by the a priori conceptual framework of the Personal Burden of Osteoarthritis (PBO) which captures 8 dimensions of osteoarthritis burden (Physical distress, Fatigue, Physical limitations, Psychosocial distress, Physical de-conditioning, Financial hardship, Sleep disturbances, Lost productivity). One hundred and twenty three candidate items were pretested in a clinical sample of 18 osteoarthritis patients. The measurement properties of the OA-Quest were assessed with exploratory factor analysis (EFA), Rasch modelling, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in a community-based sample (n = 792). EFA replicated 7 of the 8 PBO domains. An exception was PBO Fatigue domain, with items merging into the Physical distress subscale in the OA-Quest. Following item analysis, a 42-item 7-subscale questionnaire was constructed, measuring Physical distress (seven items, Cronbach's α = 0.93), Physical limitations (11 items, α = 0.95), Psychosocial distress (seven items, α = 0.93), Physical de-conditioning (four items, α = 0.87), Financial hardship (four items, α = 0.93), Sleep disturbances (five items, α = 0.96), and Lost productivity (four items α = 0.90). A highly restricted 7-factor CFA model had excellent fit with the data (χ(2)(113) = 316.36, P < 0.001; chi-square/degrees of freedom = 2.8; comparative fit index [CFI] = 0.97; root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.07), supporting construct validity of the new measure. The OA-Quest is a new measure of osteoarthritis burden that is founded on a comprehensive conceptual model. It has strong evidence of construct validity and provides reliable measurement across a broad range of osteoarthritis burden. Copyright © 2016 Osteoarthritis Research Society International. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. The development and validation of a shorter version of the Canadian Health Care Evaluation Project Questionnaire (CANHELP Lite): a novel tool to measure patient and family satisfaction with end-of-life care.

    PubMed

    Heyland, Daren K; Jiang, Xuran; Day, Andrew G; Cohen, S Robin

    2013-08-01

    The recently developed Canadian Health Care Evaluation Project (CANHELP) questionnaire, which can be used to assess both patient and family satisfaction with end-of-life care, takes 40-60 minutes to complete. The length of the interview may limit its uptake and clinical utility; a shorter version would make its use more feasible. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a shorter version of the CANHELP questionnaire. Data were collected using a cross-sectional survey of patients with advanced medical diseases and their family members. Participants completed the long version of CANHELP, a global rating of satisfaction with care (GRS), the FAMCARE scale (family members only), and a quality-of-life (QOL) questionnaire. We reduced the items on the long version based on their relationship to the GRS, the frequency of missing data, the distribution of responses, the redundancy of the items, and focus groups with frontline users. With the remaining items, we assessed internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha, and evaluated construct validity by describing the correlation of the new CANHELP Lite with the full version of CANHELP, GRS, FAMCARE, and the QOL questionnaire scores. A total of 363 patients and 193 family members participated in this study. The patient version was reduced from 37 items to 20 items and the caregiver version was reduced from 38 items to 21 items. Cronbach's alphas ranged from 0.68 to 0.93 for all domains of both the patient and caregiver questionnaires. We observed a high degree of correlation between CANHELP Lite domains and overall scores and the same domains and overall scores for the full version of CANHELP. In addition, we observed moderate to strong correlation between the CANHELP Lite overall satisfaction scores and the GRS questions. There was moderate correlation between the overall family member CANHELP Lite score and overall FAMCARE score (r = 0.45) and this was similar to the correlation between the full version of CANHELP and FAMCARE scores (r = 0.41). CANHELP Lite correlated more strongly with the QOL subscale on health care than the other QOL subscales. The CANHELP Lite questionnaire is a valid and internally consistent instrument to measure satisfaction with end-of-life care. Copyright © 2013 U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. RECAPDOC - a questionnaire for the documentation of rehabilitation care utilization in individuals with disorders of consciousness in long-term care in Germany: development and pretesting.

    PubMed

    Klingshirn, Hanna; Mittrach, Rene; Braitmayer, Kathrin; Strobl, Ralf; Bender, Andreas; Grill, Eva; Müller, Martin

    2018-05-04

    A multitude of different rehabilitation interventions and other specific health care services are offered for individuals with disorders of consciousness in long-term care settings. To investigate the association of those services and patient-relevant outcomes, a specific instrument to document the utilization of those services is needed. The purpose of this study was to develop such a questionnaire administered to caregivers in epidemiological studies or patient registries in Germany. The development process of the RECAPDOC questionnaire was carried out in three steps. Step 1 consisted of a systematic literature review and an online-based expert survey to define the general content. Step 2 was an expert interview to evaluate the preliminary content of the questionnaire. Step 3 was a pretest including cognitive interviews with caregivers. After each step, the results were combined into a new version of the questionnaire. The first version of the questionnaire included items on utilization of medical care, medical aids, nursing and therapeutic care. The results of the expert interview led to the integration of five new items and the modification of six other items. The pretest led to some minor modifications of the questionnaire since it was rated as feasible and acceptable. The final questionnaire consisted of 29 items covering the domains "living situation", "social insurance status", "utilisation of home health care", "domestic services", "outpatient health care", "specific diagnostic measures", "adaptive technologies", "medical aids" and "utilization of therapies". Also the experience of family support and multidisciplinary collaboration of health professionals is covered. The developed questionnaire is a first step to make the situation of patients with disorders of consciousness in the long-term care setting accessible for evaluation in epidemiological studies and in the context of patient registries. However, further reliability and validity studies are needed.

  11. Incorporating body-type (apple vs. pear) in STOP-BANG questionnaire improves its validity to detect OSA.

    PubMed

    Sangkum, Lisa; Klair, Ikrita; Limsuwat, Chok; Bent, Sabrina; Myers, Leann; Thammasitboon, Supat

    2017-09-01

    The aim of this study is to evaluate whether adding the item of "apple body type" to the STOP-BANG questionnaire enhances diagnostic performance of the questionnaire for detecting obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Cross-sectional study. Sleep center setting. Two hundred and eight subjects who were referred for an evaluation of possible OSA at Tulane Comprehensive Sleep Center. The exclusion criteria were age<18years old, incomplete or absent questionnaire, incomplete body type identification, polysomnography (PSG) refusal, and pregnant women. STOP-BANG items and body type data were collected on the initial clinic visit. An overnight PSG was performed on every participant. Descriptive analyses of the demographic data and PSG variables were performed. The predictive parameters of STOP and STOP-BANG without and with body type score (STOP-Apple and STOPBANG-Apple) were compared. The STOP questionnaire's sensitivity/specificity/positive likelihood ratio (+LR) (cut-off=2) was 96%/11%/1.1, respectively whereas the STOP-Apple questionnaire (cut-off=3) was 88%/39%/1.5. The STOP-BANG's sensitivity/specificity/+LR (cut-off=3) was 96%/19%/1.2, respectively whereas the STOP-BANG-Apple questionnaire (cut-off=4) was 90%/39%/1.5. The area under the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve of STOP-Apple was comparable to the STOP-BANG (P=0.25). The addition of the apple body type item to the STOP-BANG questionnaire in participants with a score≥3 led to increased specificity (67.4%), increased the odds ratio of having OSA of 2.5 (95% CI, 1.2-5.3) and odds ratio of having moderate-severe OSA of 4.7 (95% CI, 2.5-8.7). In the sleep center setting, adding the body type item to the STOP-BANG questionnaire improves not only clinical prediction for PSG confirmed OSA but also predicts moderate to severe of OSA. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  12. The Caregiver Burden Questionnaire for Heart Failure (CBQ-HF): face and content validity

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background A new caregiver burden questionnaire for heart failure (CBQ-HF v1.0) was developed based on previously conducted qualitative interviews with HF caregivers and with input from HF clinical experts. Version 1.0 of the CBQ-HF included 41 items measuring the burden associated with caregiving in the following domains: physical, emotional/psychological, social, and impact on caregiver’s life. Following initial development, the next stage was to evaluate caregivers’ understanding of the questionnaire items and their conceptual relevance. Methods To evaluate the face and content validity of the new questionnaire, cognitive interviews were conducted with caregivers of heart failure patients. The cognitive interviews included a “think aloud” exercise as the patient completed the CBQ-HF, followed by more specific probing questions to better understand caregivers’ understanding, interpretation and the relevance of the instructions, items, response scales and recall period. Results Eighteen caregivers of heart failure patients were recruited. The mean age of the caregivers was 50 years (SD = 10.2). Eighty-three percent of caregivers were female and most commonly the patient was either a spouse (44%) or a parent (28%). Among the patients 55% were NYHA Class 2 and 45% were NYHA Class 3 or 4. The caregiver cognitive interviews demonstrated that the CBQ-HF was well understood, relevant and consistently interpreted. From the initial 41 item questionnaire, fifteen items were deleted due to conceptual overlap and/or item redundancy. The final 26-item CBQ-HF (v3.0) uses a 5-point Likert severity scale, assessing 4 domains of physical, emotional/psychological, social and lifestyle burdens using a 4-week recall period. Conclusions The CBQ-HF (v3.0) is a comprehensive and relevant measure of subjective caregiver burden with strong content validity. This study has established that the CBQ-HF (v3.0) has strong face and content validity and should be valuable as an outcomes measure to help understand and monitor the relationship between patient heart failure severity and caregiver burden. A Translatability AssessmentSM of the measure has since been performed confirming the cultural appropriateness of the measure and psychometric validation is planned for the future to further explore the reliability, and validity of the new questionnaire in a larger caregiver sample. PMID:23706131

  13. Violence towards health care workers in a Public Health Care Facility in Italy: a repeated cross-sectional study

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Violence at work is one of the major concerns in health care activities. The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of physical and non-physical violence in a general health care facility in Italy and to assess the relationship between violence and psychosocial factors, thereby providing a basis for appropriate intervention. Methods All health care workers from a public health care facility were invited to complete a questionnaire containing questions on workplace violence. Three questionnaire-based cross-sectional surveys were conducted. The response rate was 75 % in 2005, 71 % in 2007, and 94 % in 2009. The 2009 questionnaire contained the VIF (Violent Incident Form) for reporting violent incidents, the DCS (demand/control/support) model for job strain, the Colquitt 20 item questionnaire for perceived organizational justice, and the GHQ-12 General Health Questionnaire for the assessment of mental health. Results One out of ten workers reported physical assault, and one out of three exposure to non-physical violence in the workplace in the previous year. Nurses and physicians were the most exposed occupational categories, whereas the psychiatric and emergency departments were the services at greatest risk of violence. Workers exposed to non-physical violence were subject to high job strain, low support, low perceived organizational justice, and high psychological distress. Conclusion Our study shows that health care workers in an Italian local health care facility are exposed to violence. Workplace violence was associated with high demand and psychological disorders, while job control, social support and organizational justice were protective factors. PMID:22551645

  14. Questionnaire to assess patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical care in Spanish language.

    PubMed

    Traverso, María Luz; Salamano, Mercedes; Botta, Carina; Colautti, Marisel; Palchik, Valeria; Pérez, Beatriz

    2007-08-01

    To develop and validate a questionnaire, in Spanish, for assessing patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical care received in community pharmacies. Selection and translation of questionnaire's items; definition of response scale and demographic questions. Evaluation of face and content validity, feasibility, factor structure, reliability and construct validity. Forty-one community pharmacies of the province of Santa Fe. Argentina. Questionnaire administered to patients receiving pharmaceutical care or traditional pharmacy services. Pilot test to assess feasibility. Factor analysis used principal components and varimax rotation. Reliability established using internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity determined with extreme group method. A self-administered questionnaire with 27 items, 5-point Likert response scale and demographic questions was designed considering multidimensional structure of patient satisfaction. Questionnaire evaluates cumulative experience of patients with comprehensive pharmaceutical care practice in community pharmacies. Two hundred and seventy-four complete questionnaires were obtained. Factor analysis resulted in three factors: Managing therapy, Interpersonal relationship and General satisfaction, with a cumulative variance of 62.51%. Cronbach's alpha for the whole questionnaire was 0.96, and 0.95, 0.88 and 0.76 for the three factors, respectively. Mann-Whitney test for construct validity did not showed significant differences between pharmacies that provide pharmaceutical care and those that do not, however, 23 items showed significant differences between the two groups of pharmacies. The questionnaire developed can be a reliable and valid instrument to assess patient satisfaction with pharmaceutical care in community pharmacies in Spanish. Further research is needed to deepen the validation process.

  15. Validation of a Questionnaire to Screen for Shift Work Disorder

    PubMed Central

    Barger, Laura K.; Ogeil, Rowan P.; Drake, Christopher L.; O'Brien, Conor S.; Ng, Kim T.; Rajaratnam, Shantha M. W.

    2012-01-01

    Study Objective: At least 15% of the full-time work force is shift workers. Working during the overnight hours, early morning start times, and variable or rotating schedules present a challenge to the circadian system, and these shifts are associated with adverse health and safety consequences. Shift work disorder (SWD), a primary (circadian rhythm) sleep disorder indicated by excessive daytime sleepiness and/or insomnia associated with a shiftwork schedule, is under-recognized by primary care physicians. We sought to develop and validate a questionnaire to screen for high risk of SWD in a shift working population. Design: Shift workers completed a 26-item questionnaire and were evaluated by a sleep specialist (physician) who diagnosed them as either positive or negative for SWD. The physician assessment of SWD was guided by a flow chart that operationalized the ICSD-2 criteria for SWD. Setting: 18 sleep clinics in the USA. Patients or Participants: 311 shift workers. Interventions: Not applicable. Measurements and Results: Responses to the items in the questionnaire were entered into a series of discrimination function analyses to determine the diagnostic value of the items and the fewest number of questions with the best predictive value. The function was then cross-validated. A final 4-item questionnaire has 89% positive predictive value and 62% negative predictive value (sensitivity = 0.74; specificity = 0.82). Conclusions: This Shiftwork Disorder Screening Questionnaire may be appropriate for use in primary care settings to aid in the diagnosis of SWD. Citation: Barger LK; Ogeil RP; Drake CL; O'Brien CS; Ng KT; Rajaratnam SMW. Validation of a questionnaire to screen for shift work disorder. SLEEP 2012;35(12):1693–1703. PMID:23204612

  16. Development of a self-administrated quality of life questionnaire for sarcopenia in elderly subjects: the SarQoL.

    PubMed

    Beaudart, Charlotte; Biver, Emmanuel; Reginster, Jean-Yves; Rizzoli, René; Rolland, Yves; Bautmans, Ivan; Petermans, Jean; Gillain, Sophie; Buckinx, Fanny; Van Beveren, Julien; Jacquemain, Marc; Italiano, Patrick; Dardenne, Nadia; Bruyere, Olivier

    2015-11-01

    The impact of sarcopenia on quality of life is currently assessed by generic tools. However, these tools may not detect subtle effects of this specific condition on quality of life. The aim of this study was to develop a sarcopenia-specific quality of life questionnaire (SarQoL, Sarcopenia Quality of Life) designed for community-dwelling elderly subjects aged 65 years and older. Participants were recruited in an outpatient clinic in Liège, Belgium. Sarcopenic subjects aged 65 years or older. The study was articulated in the following four stages: (i) Item generation-based on literature review, sarcopenic subjects' opinion, experts' opinion, focus groups; (ii) Item reduction-based on sarcopenic subjects' and experts' preferences; (iii) Questionnaire generation-developed during an expert meeting; (iv) Pretest of the questionnaire-based on sarcopenic subjects' opinion. The final version of the questionnaire consists of 55 items translated into 22 questions rated on a 4-point Likert scale. These items are organised into seven domains of dysfunction: Physical and mental health, Locomotion, Body composition, Functionality, Activities of daily living, Leisure activities and Fears. In view of the pretest, the SarQoL is easy to complete, independently, in ∼10 min. The first version of the SarQoL, a specific quality of life questionnaire for sarcopenic subjects, has been developed and has been shown to be comprehensible by the target population. Investigations are now required to test the psychometric properties (internal consistency, test-retest reliability, divergent and convergent validity, discriminant validity, floor and ceiling effects) of this questionnaire. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society.

  17. SCREENING FOR PSYCHOSOCIAL PROBLEMS IN CHILDREN ATTENDING THE PEDIATRIC CLINIC AT KING KHALID UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL (KKUH) IN RIYADH (KSA)

    PubMed Central

    Al-Ayed, Ibrahim H.; Al-Haider, Fatimah A.

    2008-01-01

    Introduction: Psychosocial problems are highly prevalent among children and adolescents. One approach to facilitating recognition and referral of these problems is to use parent-completed screening questionnaire as part of routine primary care. Aim and methods: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and type of psychosocial problems in a random sample of children attending the pediatric clinic at KKUH at the time of the study. A 2-part questionnaire was designed for the study. The first part contained basic biographic data in addition to items which reflect the socioeconomic status of the family. The second part of the questionnaire comprised the inventory, which is a modified version of the Pediatric Symptoms Checklist (PSC).The inventory consisted of 38 items classified into five categories. The total score of the inventory ranged from 0-114. Results: Three-hundred-twelve questionnaires were completed. The average of the total score was only 22.3 out of 114. The lowest score was 0 and the highest 84. The average scores of behavioral symptoms (BS) were the highest (7.03 out of 27) while that of the learning problems (LP) was the lowest (1.5 out of 18). The average score for mood symptoms (MS) was 5.6 out of 24, that for personality characteristics (PC) was 4.5 out of 24 and that for somatic symptoms (SS) was 4.3 out of 24. Conclusion: This study revealed the feasibility of screening for behavioral problems of children in an outpatient setting. It is necessary to implement screening procedures for psycho-behavioral problems, and train pediatricians to screen children presenting at clinics. PMID:23012163

  18. Screening for psychosocial problems in children attending the pediatric clinic at king khalid university hospital (kkuh) in riyadh (ksa).

    PubMed

    Al-Ayed, Ibrahim H; Al-Haider, Fatimah A

    2008-01-01

    Psychosocial problems are highly prevalent among children and adolescents. One approach to facilitating recognition and referral of these problems is to use parent-completed screening questionnaire as part of routine primary care. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence and type of psychosocial problems in a random sample of children attending the pediatric clinic at KKUH at the time of the study. A 2-part questionnaire was designed for the study. The first part contained basic biographic data in addition to items which reflect the socioeconomic status of the family. The second part of the questionnaire comprised the inventory, which is a modified version of the Pediatric Symptoms Checklist (PSC).The inventory consisted of 38 items classified into five categories. The total score of the inventory ranged from 0-114. Three-hundred-twelve questionnaires were completed. The average of the total score was only 22.3 out of 114. The lowest score was 0 and the highest 84. The average scores of behavioral symptoms (BS) were the highest (7.03 out of 27) while that of the learning problems (LP) was the lowest (1.5 out of 18). The average score for mood symptoms (MS) was 5.6 out of 24, that for personality characteristics (PC) was 4.5 out of 24 and that for somatic symptoms (SS) was 4.3 out of 24. This study revealed the feasibility of screening for behavioral problems of children in an outpatient setting. It is necessary to implement screening procedures for psycho-behavioral problems, and train pediatricians to screen children presenting at clinics.

  19. Gender differences in cardiovascular diseases risk for physical education teachers.

    PubMed

    Misigoj-Duraković, Marjeta; Duraković, Zijad; Ruzić, Lana; Findak, Vladimir

    2004-01-01

    The aim of the study was to evaluate the level of habitual physical activity in Croatian physical education (PE) teachers, as well as the existence of some other risk factors for the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). The sample consisted of 191 PE teachers aged 24 to 59 years (122 men, mean age 42.6+/-8.76 and 69 women, mean age 40.3+/-8.84;p=0.09). In order to assess the level of habitual physical activity, the teachers were asked to fill in Baecke's questionnaire. The questionnaire comprises 16 items testing physical loads at work, during sport activity and during leisure time. The questionnaire also contains 8 items, each of them representing a certain cardiovascular risk factor. In comparison to average adult employed population, PE teachers have a significantly higher level of sport and leisure time activity, which could have a favorable impact on the incidence of particular risk factors, such as overweight/obesity, systolic hypertension and blood cholesterol level. This is more obvious in females PE teachers who pay more attention to the principles of healthy life style: optimal body weight regulation, low fat diet and higher amount of leisure time physical activity (significantly higher than in male teachers). Female PE teachers who have maintained their active life style decrease the risk of CVD, particularly after the age of 55. Although it is necessary to keep in mind all the limitations of a questionnaire study, this preliminary report leads to the conclusion that male PE teachers, although physically active at job, have still kept sedentary habits, often have maintained heavy smoking habits, are slightly overweight, thus minimizing the positive effects of their demanding workplace. Consequently, average male PE teachers' risk for CVD development corresponds to the risk of general male population.

  20. Tabular Summary of the Third Follow-Up Questionnaire Data. Volume 1 [and] Volume 2 [and] Volume 3 [and] Volume 4. Sponsored Report Series NCES 79-228.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Peng, Samuel S.; And Others

    Tabular summaries of the 153 numerical responses to the Second Followup Questionnaire items of the National Longitudinal Study of the High School Class of 1972 are presented--20,872 individuals responded. These items summarize participants' educational experiences and occupational attainments from October 1973 to October 1974; continuing or…

  1. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) Revisited in a French-Speaking Population: Proposition of a Reduced Version of the Parent SDQ

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Chauvin, Bruno; Leonova, Tamara

    2016-01-01

    Key concerns about the psychometric properties of the 25-item version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) have consistently been raised in the literature. The present study aimed at examining the meaningfulness of an alternative model to the SDQ in which 7 problematic items are excluded. French-speaking parents of 262 boys and…

  2. Examining the Factor Structure and Discriminant Validity of the 12-Item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) Among Spanish Postpartum Women

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Aguado, Jaume; Campbell, Alistair; Ascaso, Carlos; Navarro, Purificacion; Garcia-Esteve, Lluisa; Luciano, Juan V.

    2012-01-01

    In this study, the authors tested alternative factor models of the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) in a sample of Spanish postpartum women, using confirmatory factor analysis. The authors report the results of modeling three different methods for scoring the GHQ-12 using estimation methods recommended for categorical and binary data.…

  3. Assessing the Risk of Sarcopenia in the Elderly: The Mini Sarcopenia Risk Assessment (MSRA) Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Rossi, A P; Micciolo, R; Rubele, S; Fantin, F; Caliari, C; Zoico, E; Mazzali, G; Ferrari, E; Volpato, S; Zamboni, M

    2017-01-01

    to validate the MSRA questionnaire proposed as prescreening tool for sarcopenia, in a population of community-dwelling elderly subjects. observational study. community dwelling elderly subjects. 274 community dwelling elderly subjects, 177 women and 97 men, aged 66-78 years. Based on EWGSOP diagnostic criteria subjects were classified as sarcopenic and non-sarcopenic. The Mini Sarcopenia Risk Assessment (MSRA) questionnaire, is composed of seven questions and investigates anamnestic and nutritional characteristics related to risk of sarcopenia onset (age, protein and dairy products consumption, number of meals per day, physical activity level, number of hospitalizations and weight loss in the last year). 33.5% of the study population, were classified as sarcopenic. With the 7-item MSRA score, subjects with a score of 30 or less, had a 4-fold greater risk of being sarcopenic than subjects with a score higher than 30 (OR:4.20;95% CI:2.26-8.06); area under the ROC curve was 0.786 (95% CI:0.725-0.847). In a logistic regression, considering as dependent variable the probability of being sarcopenic, and as independent variables the 7 items of the questionnaire, two items (number of meals and milk and dairy products consumption) showed non-significant diagnostic power. A 5-item score was then derived and the area under the ROC curve was 0.789 (95% IC:0.728-0.851). Taking into account the cost of false positive and false negative costs and the prevalence of sarcopenia, the "optimal" threshold of the original MSRA score (based on 7 items) is 30, with a sensitivity of 0.804 and a specificity of 0.505, while the "optimal" threshold of the MSRA score based on 5 items, is 45, with a sensitivity of 0.804 and a specificity of 0.604. this preliminary study shows that the MSRA questionnaire is predictive of sarcopenia and can be suggested as prescreening instrument to detect this condition. The use of a short form of the MSRA questionnaire improves the capacity to identify sarcopenic subjects.

  4. Hypersensitivity to sound in tinnitus patients: an analysis of a construct based on questionnaire and audiological data.

    PubMed

    Bläsing, Lena; Goebel, Gerhard; Flötzinger, Uta; Berthold, Anke; Kröner-Herwig, Birgit

    2010-07-01

    The purpose of this study was to analyse the Questionnaire on Hypersensitivity to Sound (GUF; Nelting & Finlayson, 2004 ) and to improve its validity based on the analysis of intercorrelations (single item level) with other methods of assessing hyperacusis (uncomfortable loudness level, individual loudness function, self-rated severity of hyperacusis). Subjects consisted of 91 inpatients with tinnitus and hyperacusis. The GUF showed a good reliability (alpha = .92). The factorial structure of the questionnaire reported by Nelting et al (2002) was not completely supported by the evidence in this study. The total score and the single items showed small to moderate correlations with the other modes of measuring hyperacusis. Evidence for convergent and discriminant validity were found, but overall the results corroborate the conceptual heterogeneity of the construct hyperacusis and its dependency on the assessment method. Four items of the GUF with particularly low correlations were excluded from the questionnaire. The revised GUF total score showed slightly but not statistically significant higher convergent and discriminant validity.

  5. Assessing coach motivation: the development of the Coach Motivation Questionnaire (CMQ).

    PubMed

    McLean, Kristy N; Mallett, Clifford J; Newcombe, Peter

    2012-04-01

    The aim of this research was to develop and assess the psychometric properties of the Coach Motivation Questionnaire (CMQ). Study 1 focused on the compilation and pilot testing of potential questionnaire items. Consistent with self-determination theory, items were devised to tap into six forms of motivation: amotivation, external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, integrated regulation, and intrinsic motivation. The purpose of the second study (N = 556) was to empirically examine the psychometric properties of the CMQ. Items were subjected to confirmatory factor analyses to determine the fit of the a priori model. In addition, the validity of the questionnaire was assessed through links with the theoretically related concepts of intrinsic need satisfaction, well-being, and goal orientation. Together with test-retest reliability (Study 3), these results showed preliminary support for the psychometric properties of the CMQ. Finally, using an independent sample (N = 254), the fourth study confirmed the factor structure and supports the use of the CMQ in future coaching research.

  6. Missing data methods for dealing with missing items in quality of life questionnaires. A comparison by simulation of personal mean score, full information maximum likelihood, multiple imputation, and hot deck techniques applied to the SF-36 in the French 2003 decennial health survey.

    PubMed

    Peyre, Hugo; Leplège, Alain; Coste, Joël

    2011-03-01

    Missing items are common in quality of life (QoL) questionnaires and present a challenge for research in this field. It remains unclear which of the various methods proposed to deal with missing data performs best in this context. We compared personal mean score, full information maximum likelihood, multiple imputation, and hot deck techniques using various realistic simulation scenarios of item missingness in QoL questionnaires constructed within the framework of classical test theory. Samples of 300 and 1,000 subjects were randomly drawn from the 2003 INSEE Decennial Health Survey (of 23,018 subjects representative of the French population and having completed the SF-36) and various patterns of missing data were generated according to three different item non-response rates (3, 6, and 9%) and three types of missing data (Little and Rubin's "missing completely at random," "missing at random," and "missing not at random"). The missing data methods were evaluated in terms of accuracy and precision for the analysis of one descriptive and one association parameter for three different scales of the SF-36. For all item non-response rates and types of missing data, multiple imputation and full information maximum likelihood appeared superior to the personal mean score and especially to hot deck in terms of accuracy and precision; however, the use of personal mean score was associated with insignificant bias (relative bias <2%) in all studied situations. Whereas multiple imputation and full information maximum likelihood are confirmed as reference methods, the personal mean score appears nonetheless appropriate for dealing with items missing from completed SF-36 questionnaires in most situations of routine use. These results can reasonably be extended to other questionnaires constructed according to classical test theory.

  7. [Development of a Questionnaire Measuring Sexual Mental Health of Tibetan University Students].

    PubMed

    Chen, Jun-cheng; Yan, Yu-ruo; Ai, Li; Guo, Xue-hua; He, Jian-xiu; Yuan, Ping

    2016-05-01

    To develop a questionnaire measuring sexual mental health of Tibetan university students. A draft questionnaire was developed with reference to the Sexual Civilization Survey for University Students of New Century and other published literature, and in consultation with experts. The questionnaire was tested in 230 students. Exploratory factor analyses with principal component and varimax orthogonal rotation were performed. Common factors with a > 1 eigenvalues and ≥ 3 loaded items (factor loading ≥ 0.4) were retained. Items with a < 0.4 factor loading, < 0.2 commonality, or falling into a common factor with < 3 items were excluded. The revised questionnaire was administered in another sample of 481 university students. Cronbach's α and split-half reliabilities were estimated. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed to test the construct validity of the questionnaire. Four rounds of exploratory factor analyses reduced the draft questionnaire items from 39 to 34 with a 7-factor structure. The questionnaire had a Cronbach's α of 0.920, 0.898, 0.812, 0.844, 0.787, 0.684, 0.703, and 0.608, and a Spearman-Brown coefficient of 0.763, 0.867, 0.742, 0838, 0.746, 0.822, 0.677, and 0.564 for the overall questionnaire and its 7 domains, respectively, suggesting good internal reliability. The structural equation of confirmatory factor analysis fitted well with the raw data: fit index χ²/df 3.736; root mean square residual (RMR) 0.081; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA = 0.076; goodness of fit index (GFI) 0.805; adjusted goodness of fit index (AGFI) 0.770; normed fit index (NFI) = 0.774; relative fit index (RFI) 0.749; incremental fit index (IFI) 0.824; non-normed fit index (NNFI) = 0.803; comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.823; parsimony goodness of fit index (PGFI) = 0.684; parsimony normed fit index (PNFI) = 0.698; parsimony comparative fit index (PCFI) = 0.742, suggesting good construct validity of the questionnaire. The Sexual Mental Health Questionnaire for Tibetan University Student has demonstrated good reliability and validity.

  8. The psychometric properties of the Tinnitus Handicap Questionnaire in a Dutch-speaking population.

    PubMed

    Vanneste, S; To, W T; De Ridder, D

    2011-02-01

    The aim of the study is to translate and validate the tinnitus handicap questionnaire (THQ) for a Dutch-speaking population. The factor structure of the questionnaire, the reliability and the validity is determined. Furthermore, a statistical comparison with the original English version of the tinnitus handicap questionnaire is performed. We assessed 101 patients at the Tinnitus Research Initiative clinic of Antwerp University Hospital. Twenty-seven Dutch items from the tinnitus handicap questionnaire by Kuk et al. [(1990), Ear Hear11:434-45.] were obtained by the process of translation and back translation. The factor structure, internal consistency, was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient and item correlations were used to confirm reliability. The construct validity was confirmed with a visual analogue scale for loudness and distress, awareness, annoyance, the Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ), the mini-Tinnitus Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Profile of Mood State (POMS), ensuring that this new instrument measures the tinnitus handicap. This study demonstrates that the Dutch version of the tinnitus handicap questionnaire is a reliable (Cronbach's alpha coefficient α = 0.93) and valid measure of self-perceived tinnitus-related distress [with visual analogue scale for loudness (r = 0.39) and distress (r =0.45), awareness (r = 0.39), annoyance (r = 0.57), the Tinnitus Questionnaire (r = 0.82), the mini-Tinnitus Questionnaire (r = 0.79), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (r = 0.62) and the Beck Depression Inventory (r = 0.32)]. The psychometric properties are in line with previous findings on the English version with regard to reliability and validity. However, the items in the subscales differ from the English version. While the English version has three subscales, our version has only two subscales. Yet, the English version reports that for the three factors, there is a low internal consistency and low correlation among the different items. For the Dutch-speaking version, both factors show a very high reliability and validity. The tinnitus handicap questionnaire is suitable for assessing the handicapping effects of tinnitus among a Dutch-speaking population in both clinical and research settings. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  9. Design and validation of a questionnaire to assess organizational culture in French hospital wards.

    PubMed

    Saillour-Glénisson, F; Domecq, S; Kret, M; Sibe, M; Dumond, J P; Michel, P

    2016-09-17

    Although many organizational culture questionnaires have been developed, there is a lack of any validated multidimensional questionnaire assessing organizational culture at hospital ward level and adapted to health care context. Facing the lack of an appropriate tool, a multidisciplinary team designed and validated a dimensional organizational culture questionnaire for healthcare settings to be administered at ward level. A database of organizational culture items and themes was created after extensive literature review. Items were regrouped into dimensions and subdimensions (classification validated by experts). Pre-test and face validation was conducted with 15 health care professionals. In a stratified cluster random sample of hospitals, the psychometric validation was conducted in three phases on a sample of 859 healthcare professionals from 36 multidisciplinary medicine services: 1) the exploratory phase included a description of responses' saturation levels, factor and correlations analyses and an internal consistency analysis (Cronbach's alpha coefficient); 2) confirmatory phase used the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM); 3) reproducibility was studied by a test-retest. The overall response rate was 80 %; the completion average was 97 %. The metrological results were: a global Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.93, higher than 0.70 for 12 sub-dimensions; all Dillon-Goldstein's rho coefficients higher than 0.70; an excellent quality of external model with a Goodness of Fitness (GoF) criterion of 0.99. Seventy percent of the items had a reproducibility ranging from moderate (Intra-Class Coefficient between 50 and 70 % for 25 items) to good (ICC higher than 70 % for 33 items). COMEt (Contexte Organisationnel et Managérial en Etablissement de Santé) questionnaire is a validated multidimensional organizational culture questionnaire made of 6 dimensions, 21 sub-dimensions and 83 items. It is the first dimensional organizational culture questionnaire, specific to healthcare context, for a unit level assessment showing robust psychometric properties (validity and reliability). This tool is suited for research purposes, especially for assessing organizational context in research analysing the effectiveness of hospital quality improvement strategies. Our tool is also suited for an overall assessment of ward culture and could be a powerful trigger to improve management and clinical performance. Its psychometric properties in other health systems need to be tested.

  10. Improving Inpatient Surveys: Web-Based Computer Adaptive Testing Accessed via Mobile Phone QR Codes

    PubMed Central

    2016-01-01

    Background The National Health Service (NHS) 70-item inpatient questionnaire surveys inpatients on their perceptions of their hospitalization experience. However, it imposes more burden on the patient than other similar surveys. The literature shows that computerized adaptive testing (CAT) based on item response theory can help shorten the item length of a questionnaire without compromising its precision. Objective Our aim was to investigate whether CAT can be (1) efficient with item reduction and (2) used with quick response (QR) codes scanned by mobile phones. Methods After downloading the 2008 inpatient survey data from the Picker Institute Europe website and analyzing the difficulties of this 70-item questionnaire, we used an author-made Excel program using the Rasch partial credit model to simulate 1000 patients’ true scores followed by a standard normal distribution. The CAT was compared to two other scenarios of answering all items (AAI) and the randomized selection method (RSM), as we investigated item length (efficiency) and measurement accuracy. The author-made Web-based CAT program for gathering patient feedback was effectively accessed from mobile phones by scanning the QR code. Results We found that the CAT can be more efficient for patients answering questions (ie, fewer items to respond to) than either AAI or RSM without compromising its measurement accuracy. A Web-based CAT inpatient survey accessed by scanning a QR code on a mobile phone was viable for gathering inpatient satisfaction responses. Conclusions With advances in technology, patients can now be offered alternatives for providing feedback about hospitalization satisfaction. This Web-based CAT is a possible option in health care settings for reducing the number of survey items, as well as offering an innovative QR code access. PMID:26935793

  11. Improving Inpatient Surveys: Web-Based Computer Adaptive Testing Accessed via Mobile Phone QR Codes.

    PubMed

    Chien, Tsair-Wei; Lin, Weir-Sen

    2016-03-02

    The National Health Service (NHS) 70-item inpatient questionnaire surveys inpatients on their perceptions of their hospitalization experience. However, it imposes more burden on the patient than other similar surveys. The literature shows that computerized adaptive testing (CAT) based on item response theory can help shorten the item length of a questionnaire without compromising its precision. Our aim was to investigate whether CAT can be (1) efficient with item reduction and (2) used with quick response (QR) codes scanned by mobile phones. After downloading the 2008 inpatient survey data from the Picker Institute Europe website and analyzing the difficulties of this 70-item questionnaire, we used an author-made Excel program using the Rasch partial credit model to simulate 1000 patients' true scores followed by a standard normal distribution. The CAT was compared to two other scenarios of answering all items (AAI) and the randomized selection method (RSM), as we investigated item length (efficiency) and measurement accuracy. The author-made Web-based CAT program for gathering patient feedback was effectively accessed from mobile phones by scanning the QR code. We found that the CAT can be more efficient for patients answering questions (ie, fewer items to respond to) than either AAI or RSM without compromising its measurement accuracy. A Web-based CAT inpatient survey accessed by scanning a QR code on a mobile phone was viable for gathering inpatient satisfaction responses. With advances in technology, patients can now be offered alternatives for providing feedback about hospitalization satisfaction. This Web-based CAT is a possible option in health care settings for reducing the number of survey items, as well as offering an innovative QR code access.

  12. Development of the Primary Care Quality-Homeless (PCQ-H) Instrument: A Practical Survey of Patients' Experiences in Primary Care

    PubMed Central

    Kertesz, Stefan. G.; Pollio, David E.; Jones, Richard N.; Steward, Jocelyn; Stringfellow, Erin J.; Gordon, Adam J.; Johnson, Nancy K.; Kim, Theresa A.; Granstaff, Unita; Austin, Erika L.; Young, Alexander S.; Golden, Joya; Davis, Lori L.; Roth, David L.; Holt, Cheryl L.

    2015-01-01

    Background Homeless patients face unique challenges in obtaining primary care responsive to their needs and context. Patient experience questionnaires could permit assessment of patient-centered medical homes for this population, but standard instruments may not reflect homeless patients' priorities and concerns. Objectives This report describes (a) the content and psychometric properties of a new primary care questionnaire for homeless patients and (b) the methods utilized in its development. Methods Starting with quality-related constructs from the Institute of Medicine, we identified relevant themes by interviewing homeless patients and experts in their care. A multidisciplinary team drafted a preliminary set of 78 items. This was administered to homeless-experienced clients (n=563) across 3 VA facilities and 1 non-VA Health Care for the Homeless Program. Using Item Response Theory, we examined Test Information Function curves to eliminate less informative items and devise plausibly distinct subscales. Results The resulting 33-item instrument (Primary Care Quality-Homeless, PCQ-H) has four subscales: Patient-Clinician Relationship (15 items), Cooperation among Clinicians (3 items), Access/Coordination (11 items) and Homeless-Specific Needs (4 items). Evidence for divergent and convergent validity is provided. Test Information Function (TIF) graphs showed adequate informational value to permit inferences about groups for 3 subscales (Relationship, Cooperation and Access/Coordination). The 3-item Cooperation subscale had lower informational value (TIF<5) but had good internal consistency (alpha=0.75) and patients frequently reported problems in this aspect of care. Conclusions Systematic application of qualitative and quantitative methods supported the development of a brief patient-reported questionnaire focused on the primary care of homeless patients and offers guidance for future population-specific instrument development. PMID:25023918

  13. Development of a questionnaire to measure consumers' perceptions of service quality in Australian community pharmacies.

    PubMed

    Mirzaei, Ardalan; Carter, Stephen R; Chen, Jenny Yimin; Rittsteuer, Claudia; Schneider, Carl R

    2018-06-11

    Recent changes within community pharmacy have seen a shift towards some pharmacies providing "value-added" services. However, providing high levels of service is resource intensive yet revenues from dispensing are declining. Of significance therefore, is how consumers perceive service quality (SQ). However, at present there are no validated and reliable instruments to measure consumers' perceptions of SQ in Australian community pharmacies. The aim of this study was to build a theory-grounded model of service quality (SQ) in community pharmacies and to create a valid survey instrument to measure consumers' perceptions of service quality. Stage 1 dealt with item generation using theory, prior research and qualitative interviews with pharmacy consumers. Selected items were then subjected to content validity and face validity. Stages 2 and 3 included psychometric testing among English-speaking adult consumers of Australian pharmacies. Exploratory factor analysis was used for item reduction and to explain the domains of SQ. In stage 1, item generation for SQ initially generated 113 items which were then refined, through content and face validity, down to 61 items. In stage 2, after subjecting the questionnaire to psychometric testing on the data from the first pharmacy (n = 374), the use of the primary dimensions of SQ was abandoned leaving 32 items representing 5 domains of SQ. In stage 3, the questionnaire was subject to further testing and item reduction in 3 other pharmacies (n = 320). SQ was best described using 23 items representing 6 domains: 'health and medicines advice', 'relationship quality', 'technical quality', 'environmental quality', 'non-prescription service', and 'health outcomes'. This research presents a theoretically-grounded and robust measurement scale developed for consumer perceptions of SQ in a community pharmacy. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  14. Measuring weight self-stigma: the weight self-stigma questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Lillis, Jason; Luoma, Jason B; Levin, Michael E; Hayes, Steven C

    2010-05-01

    Stigma associated with being overweight or obese is widespread. Given that weight loss is difficult to achieve and maintain, researchers have been calling for interventions that reduce the impact of weight stigma on life functioning. Sound measures that are sensitive to change are needed to help guide and inform intervention studies. This study presents the weight self-stigma questionnaire (WSSQ). The WSSQ has 12 items and is designed for use only with populations of overweight or obese persons. Two samples of participants--one treatment seeking, one nontreatment seeking--were used for validation (N = 169). Results indicate that the WSSQ has good reliability and validity, and contains two distinct subscales-self-devaluation and fear of enacted stigma. The WSSQ could be useful for identifying individuals who may benefit from a stigma reduction intervention and may also help evaluate programs designed to reduce stigma.

  15. Challenges faced with the implementation of Web-Based Data Query Systems for population health: development of a questionnaire based on expert consensus.

    PubMed

    Ahuja, Manik; Aseltine, Robert; Warren, Nicholas; Reisine, Susan; Williams, Pam Holtzclaw; Cislo, Andy

    2018-01-01

    State health agencies (SHA) and local health agencies (LHA) face several challenges with the dissemination of local health data using Web-Based Data Query Systems (WDQS). To help guide future research, this study aimed to utilize expert consensus to identify the most relevant items that contribute to these challenges. A total of 17 researchers and public health professionals agreed to participate in a three-round Delphi process. In round 1, four topics were represented on a 42-item questionnaire using a 5-point Likert scale, along with free-text responses. Free-text responses were analyzed leading to a series of items for a second Delphi round. Participants were given an opportunity to revise results in round 3 for items that did not meet consensus in round 1 or round 2. Consensus on expert opinions was defined at interquartile range (IQR) ≤ 1. The experts reached consensus on a total of 21 (50%) of the 42 items presented in the initial questionnaire. Eleven of the 15 (73%) of the items extracted from the free-text responses met consensus. Items in consensus from this pilot study were used to develop an instrument for a broader survey across Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) coordinators across all 50 US states. Experts confirmed that software development costs, inadequate human resources, data sharing gaps, a lack of political support, and poor data quality contribute significantly to challenges in their data implementation. The findings from this pilot study inform us of items of public health significance that will help guide future research.

  16. Development of the Treatment Inventory of Costs in Psychiatric Patients: TIC-P Mini and Midi.

    PubMed

    Timman, Reinier; Bouwmans, Clazien; Busschbach, Jan J V; Hakkaart-van Roijen, Leona

    2015-12-01

    Medical costs of (psychiatric) illness can be validly measured with patient report questionnaires. These questionnaires comprise many detailed items resulting in lengthy administrations. We set out to find the minimal number of items needed to retrieve 80% and 90% of the costs as measured by the Treatment Inventory of Costs in Patients with psychiatric disorders (TIC-P). The TIC-P is a validated patient-reported outcome measure concerning the utilization of medical care and productivity losses. The present study focused on direct medical costs. We applied data of 7756 TIC-P administrations from three studies in patients with mental health care issues. Items that contribute least to the total cost were eliminated, providing that 80% and 90% of the total cost was retained. Average medical costs per patient were €658 over the last 4 weeks. The distribution of cost was highly skewed, and 5 of the 14 items of the TIC-P accounted for less than 10% of the total costs. The 80% Mini version of the TIC-P required five items: ambulatory services, private practice, day care, general hospital, and psychiatric clinic. The TIC-P Midi 90% inventory required eight items. Both had variance between the three samples in the optimal choice of the items. The number of items of the TIC-P can be reduced considerably while maintaining 80% and 90% of the medical costs estimated by the complete TIC-P. The reduced length makes the questionnaire more suitable for routine outcome monitoring. Copyright © 2015 International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. 77 FR 14423 - Certain Food Containers, Cups, Plates, Cutlery, and Related Items, and Packaging Thereof; Notice...

    Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

    2012-03-09

    ... INTERNATIONAL TRADE COMMISSION [DN 2883] Certain Food Containers, Cups, Plates, Cutlery, and... Containers, Cups, Plates, Cutlery, and Related Items, and Packaging Thereof, DN 2883; the Commission is... importation of certain food containers, cups, plates, cutlery, and related items, and packaging thereof. The...

  18. A Multidimensional Tool Based on the eHealth Literacy Framework: Development and Initial Validity Testing of the eHealth Literacy Questionnaire (eHLQ)

    PubMed Central

    Karnoe, Astrid; Furstrand, Dorthe; Batterham, Roy; Christensen, Karl Bang; Elsworth, Gerald; Osborne, Richard H

    2018-01-01

    Background For people to be able to access, understand, and benefit from the increasing digitalization of health services, it is critical that services are provided in a way that meets the user’s needs, resources, and competence. Objective The objective of the study was to develop a questionnaire that captures the 7-dimensional eHealth Literacy Framework (eHLF). Methods Draft items were created in parallel in English and Danish. The items were generated from 450 statements collected during the conceptual development of eHLF. In all, 57 items (7 to 9 items per scale) were generated and adjusted after cognitive testing. Items were tested in 475 people recruited from settings in which the scale was intended to be used (community and health care settings) and including people with a range of chronic conditions. Measurement properties were assessed using approaches from item response theory (IRT) and classical test theory (CTT) such as confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and reliability using composite scale reliability (CSR); potential bias due to age and sex was evaluated using differential item functioning (DIF). Results CFA confirmed the presence of the 7 a priori dimensions of eHLF. Following item analysis, a 35-item 7-scale questionnaire was constructed, covering (1) using technology to process health information (5 items, CSR=.84), (2) understanding of health concepts and language (5 items, CSR=.75), (3) ability to actively engage with digital services (5 items, CSR=.86), (4) feel safe and in control (5 items, CSR=.87), (5) motivated to engage with digital services (5 items, CSR=.84), (6) access to digital services that work (6 items, CSR=.77), and (7) digital services that suit individual needs (4 items, CSR=.85). A 7-factor CFA model, using small-variance priors for cross-loadings and residual correlations, had a satisfactory fit (posterior productive P value: .27, 95% CI for the difference between the observed and replicated chi-square values: −63.7 to 133.8). The CFA showed that all items loaded strongly on their respective factors. The IRT analysis showed that no items were found to have disordered thresholds. For most scales, discriminant validity was acceptable; however, 2 pairs of dimensions were highly correlated; dimensions 1 and 5 (r=.95), and dimensions 6 and 7 (r=.96). All dimensions were retained because of strong content differentiation and potential causal relationships between these dimensions. There is no evidence of DIF. Conclusions The eHealth Literacy Questionnaire (eHLQ) is a multidimensional tool based on a well-defined a priori eHLF framework with robust properties. It has satisfactory evidence of construct validity and reliable measurement across a broad range of concepts (using both CTT and IRT traditions) in various groups. It is designed to be used to understand and evaluate people’s interaction with digital health services. PMID:29434011

  19. Development and Validation of the Eyelash Satisfaction Questionnaire

    PubMed Central

    Dang, Jeff; Cole, Jason C.; Burgess, Somali M.; Yang, Min; Daniels, Selena R.; Walt, John G.

    2016-01-01

    Background Patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures have been used to assess treatment benefit in a variety of therapeutic areas and are now becoming increasingly important in aesthetic research. Objectives The objective of the current study was to develop and validate a new PRO measure (Eyelash Satisfaction Questionnaire [ESQ]) to assess satisfaction with eyelash prominence. Methods The content of the questionnaire (including conceptual framework and questionnaire items) was generated by review of literature, participant interviews, and expert opinion. Cognitive interviews were conducted to pilot test the questionnaire. Psychometric properties of the questionnaire were examined in a combined sample of participants (n = 970) completing Internet- (n = 909) and paper-based (n = 61) versions. Item- and domain-level properties were examined using modern and classical psychometrics. Results Content-based analysis of qualitative data demonstrated the presence of 3 distinct domains (Length, Fullness, Overall Satisfaction; Confidence, Attractiveness, and Professionalism; and Daily Routine). Initial confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) results of 23 items revealed insufficient model-data fit (comparative fit index [CFI] of 0.86 and a non-normed fit index [NNFI] of 0.82). A revised model using 9 items (3 per domain) achieved appropriate fit (CFI of 0.99 and NNFI of 0.97). Analyses revealed measurement equivalence across the Internet- and paper-based versions. The 3 ESQ domains had strong internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α [range] = 0.919-0.976) and adequate convergent and discriminant validity. Conclusions The ESQ was found to be a reliable and valid PRO measure for assessing satisfaction with eyelash prominence. Level of Evidence: 3 Therapeutic PMID:26691738

  20. Communication preferences of chronically ill adolescents: development of an assessment instrument.

    PubMed

    Klosinski, Matthias G; Farin, Erik

    2015-09-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop and psychometrically test a patient-oriented, theory-based questionnaire to capture the communication preferences of chronically ill adolescents in provider-patient interaction. In a qualitative prestudy, patients were asked to express their preferences in focus groups. From those results and relying on previous research findings, we generated questionnaire items and in a second pretest, examined them in 1-to-1 cognitive interviews for comprehensibility and acceptance. The resultant questionnaire was then psychometrically tested in the main study on 423 chronically ill inpatient adolescents aged 12 to 17 years in 14 rehabilitation clinics in Germany. Numerous preferences were extractable from the focus-group interviews and transferred into 106 Items. Psychometric testing of the questionnaire resulted in 3 scales encompassing 27 items. These we describe as the emotional-affective communication component (EAC), instrumental communication component (IC), and adolescent-specific communication component (ASC). Confirmatory factor analysis revealed the scales EAC und IC to be good to very good, and the ASC scale as satisfactory regarding unidimensionality. The participants gave the questionnaire high marks for comprehensibility, acceptance, and relevance. The 3 scales' Cronbach's alpha falls between .78 and .92. A questionnaire with 27 items is now available for application as a psychometrically tested and simple-to-use measuring instrument. Research is still needed concerning the generalizability to other patient groups (e.g., the acutely ill or outpatients) and whether it can be tailored for use by different types of care providers or to accommodate the communication preferences of parents. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved.

  1. [Validation and reliability study of the parent concerns about surgery questionnaire: What worries parents?

    PubMed

    Gironés Muriel, Alberto; Campos Segovia, Ana; Ríos Gómez, Patricia

    2018-01-01

    The study of mediating variables and psychological responses to child surgery involves the evaluation of both the patient and the parents as regards different stressors. To have a reliable and reproducible valid evaluation tool that assesses the level of paternal involvement in relation to different stressors in the setting of surgery. A self-report questionnaire study was completed by 123 subjects of both sexes, subdivided into 2populations, due to their relationship with the hospital setting. The items were determined by a group of experts and analysed using the Lawshe validity index to determine a first validity of content. Subsequently, the reliability of the tool was determined by an item-re-item analysis of the 2sub-populations. A factorial analysis was performed to analyse the construct validity with the maximum likelihood and rotation of varimax type factors. A questionnaire of paternal concern was offered, consisting of 21 items with a Cronbach coefficient of 0.97, giving good precision and stability. The posterior factor analysis gives an adequate validity to the questionnaire, with the determination of 10 common stressors that cover 74.08% of the common and non-common variance of the questionnaire. The proposed questionnaire is reliable, valid and easy-to-apply and is developed to assess the level of paternal concern about the surgery of a child and to be able to apply measures and programs through the prior assessment of these elements. Copyright © 2016 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

  2. Impaired work functioning due to common mental disorders in nurses and allied health professionals: the Nurses Work Functioning Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Gärtner, F R; Nieuwenhuijsen, K; van Dijk, F J H; Sluiter, J K

    2012-02-01

    Common mental disorders (CMD) negatively affect work functioning. In the health service sector not only the prevalence of CMDs is high, but work functioning problems are associated with a risk of serious consequences for patients and healthcare providers. If work functioning problems due to CMDs are detected early, timely help can be provided. Therefore, the aim of this study is to develop a detection questionnaire for impaired work functioning due to CMDs in nurses and allied health professionals working in hospitals. First, an item pool was developed by a systematic literature study and five focus group interviews with employees and experts. To evaluate the content validity, additional interviews were held. Second, a cross-sectional assessment of the item pool in 314 nurses and allied health professionals was used for item selection and for identification and corroboration of subscales by explorative and confirmatory factor analysis. The study results in the Nurses Work Functioning Questionnaire (NWFQ), a 50-item self-report questionnaire consisting of seven subscales: cognitive aspects of task execution, impaired decision making, causing incidents at work, avoidance behavior, conflicts and irritations with colleagues, impaired contact with patients and their family, and lack of energy and motivation. The questionnaire has a proven high content validity. All subscales have good or acceptable internal consistency. The Nurses Work Functioning Questionnaire gives insight into precise and concrete aspects of impaired work functioning of nurses and allied health professionals. The scores can be used as a starting point for purposeful interventions.

  3. Assessing the equivalence of Web-based and paper-and-pencil questionnaires using differential item and test functioning (DIF and DTF) analysis: a case of the Four-Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire (4DSQ).

    PubMed

    Terluin, Berend; Brouwers, Evelien P M; Marchand, Miquelle A G; de Vet, Henrica C W

    2018-05-01

    Many paper-and-pencil (P&P) questionnaires have been migrated to electronic platforms. Differential item and test functioning (DIF and DTF) analysis constitutes a superior research design to assess measurement equivalence across modes of administration. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate an item response theory (IRT)-based DIF and DTF analysis to assess the measurement equivalence of a Web-based version and the original P&P format of the Four-Dimensional Symptom Questionnaire (4DSQ), measuring distress, depression, anxiety, and somatization. The P&P group (n = 2031) and the Web group (n = 958) consisted of primary care psychology clients. Unidimensionality and local independence of the 4DSQ scales were examined using IRT and Yen's Q3. Bifactor modeling was used to assess the scales' essential unidimensionality. Measurement equivalence was assessed using IRT-based DIF analysis using a 3-stage approach: linking on the latent mean and variance, selection of anchor items, and DIF testing using the Wald test. DTF was evaluated by comparing expected scale scores as a function of the latent trait. The 4DSQ scales proved to be essentially unidimensional in both modalities. Five items, belonging to the distress and somatization scales, displayed small amounts of DIF. DTF analysis revealed that the impact of DIF on the scale level was negligible. IRT-based DIF and DTF analysis is demonstrated as a way to assess the equivalence of Web-based and P&P questionnaire modalities. Data obtained with the Web-based 4DSQ are equivalent to data obtained with the P&P version.

  4. Validation of the Korean Version of the Mini-Sleep Questionnaire-Insomnia in Korean College Students.

    PubMed

    Kim, Hee-Ju

    2017-03-01

    This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the Mini-Sleep Questionnaire-Insomnia in Korean college students. A total of 470 students from six nursing colleges in South Korea participated in the study. The translation and linguistic validation of the Mini-Sleep Questionnaire-Insomnia was performed based on guidelines. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Perceived Stress Scale were used to validate the measure. Cronbach α, item-total correlation for internal consistency reliability and intraclass correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability were evaluated. Exploratory factor analysis for construct validity, Pearson's correlation with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Perceived Stress Scale for concurrent validity, and the receiver operating character curve for predictive validity were assessed. The 4-item Mini-Sleep Questionnaire-Insomnia had a Cronbach α of .69 and the item-total correlations were higher than .30. Cronbach α increased to .73 if the item assessing the use of sleeping pills and tranquilizers was deleted. This item had marked skewness and kurtosis issues. Factor analysis indicated unidimensionality, explaining 53.0% of the total variance. The measure showed high test-retest reliability (i.e., intraclass correlation coefficient = .84), acceptable concurrent validity (r with the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index = .69; r with the Perceived Stress Scale = .31) and predictive validity [area under curve = .85; 95% confidence interval (0.81, 0.90)]. The Mini-Sleep Questionnaire-Insomnia showed acceptable reliability and validity. Yet, the limited distribution in sleep medications warrants further evaluations in the clinical population. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  5. Test-retest reliability and construct validity of the ENERGY-parent questionnaire on parenting practices, energy balance-related behaviours and their potential behavioural determinants: the ENERGY-project.

    PubMed

    Singh, Amika S; Chinapaw, Mai J M; Uijtdewilligen, Léonie; Vik, Froydis N; van Lippevelde, Wendy; Fernández-Alvira, Juan M; Stomfai, Sarolta; Manios, Yannis; van der Sluijs, Maria; Terwee, Caroline; Brug, Johannes

    2012-08-13

    Insight in parental energy balance-related behaviours, their determinants and parenting practices are important to inform childhood obesity prevention. Therefore, reliable and valid tools to measure these variables in large-scale population research are needed. The objective of the current study was to examine the test-retest reliability and construct validity of the parent questionnaire used in the ENERGY-project, assessing parental energy balance-related behaviours, their determinants, and parenting practices among parents of 10-12 year old children. We collected data among parents (n = 316 in the test-retest reliability study; n = 109 in the construct validity study) of 10-12 year-old children in six European countries, i.e. Belgium, Greece, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, and Spain. Test-retest reliability was assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and percentage agreement comparing scores from two measurements, administered one week apart. To assess construct validity, the agreement between questionnaire responses and a subsequent interview was assessed using ICC and percentage agreement.All but one item showed good to excellent test-retest reliability as indicated by ICCs > .60 or percentage agreement ≥ 75%. Construct validity appeared to be good to excellent for 92 out of 121 items, as indicated by ICCs > .60 or percentage agreement ≥ 75%. From the other 29 items, construct validity was moderate for 24 and poor for 5 items. The reliability and construct validity of the items of the ENERGY-parent questionnaire on multiple energy balance-related behaviours, their potential determinants, and parenting practices appears to be good. Based on the results of the validity study, we strongly recommend adapting parts of the ENERGY-parent questionnaire if used in future research.

  6. The development of a questionnaire measure of diabetes-related distress in Chinese-speaking patients: the Diabetes-Related Distress Questionnaire (DRDQ).

    PubMed

    Wang, Huey-Fen; Yu, Neng-Chun; Sheu, Wayne H-H; Yeh, Mei Chang

    2016-03-01

    To develop and evaluate the reliability and validity of a Diabetes-Related Distress Questionnaire for Chinese-speaking patients with diabetes. The Diabetes-Related Distress Questionnaire (DRDQ) included 11 quality-of-life questions translated from a Diabetes, Attitudes, Wishes, and Needs study and four native items developed by researchers based on patients' experiences. A sample of 981 Chinese-speaking patients with diabetes in Taiwan was invited to complete the questionnaire. A minimum of 4.2 % of patients used each response option for each item. Exploratory factor analysis suggested a two-factor structure, representing treatment-related distress (factor 1) and progression-related distress (factor 2). The mean loading of items on their corresponding factor was high (0.60), while the mean loading on the other factor was low (0.10). A confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a single structure of the DRDQ (root-mean-square error of approximation = 0.063, comparative fit index = 0.93). The Cronbach's alpha was 0.89 for the DRDQ scale, 0.87 for the factor 1, and 0.68 for the factor 2. As expected, people with insulin-treated and HbA1c > 7 % reported significantly greater negative scores than their counterparts on the total score and all items of the DRDQ, with the exception of item 2. A moderate effect size was demonstrated between insulin known groups (ranging from 0.14 to 0.46) and between HbA1c known groups (ranging from 0.08 to 0.87). The DRDQ is a psychometrically sound instrument that can be used to assess diabetes-related distress in Chinese-speaking patients in Taiwan.

  7. Psychometric validation of the PROQOL-HIV questionnaire, a new health-related quality of life instrument-specific to HIV disease.

    PubMed

    Duracinsky, Martin; Lalanne, Christophe; Le Coeur, Sophie; Herrmann, Susan; Berzins, Baiba; Armstrong, Andrew Richard; Lau, Joseph Tak Fai; Fournier, Isabelle; Chassany, Olivier

    2012-04-15

    This study reports the psychometric validation of a new HIV/AIDS-specific health-related quality of life (HRQL) questionnaire, the Patient Reported Outcomes Quality of Life-HIV. The instrument was developed simultaneously across Europe, North and South America, Africa, Asia, and Australia to assess multidimensional quality of life impairments in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy. A cross-sectional study was performed in 8 countries. The pilot 70-item questionnaire was co-administered with the HIV symptoms index, the EQ-5D and Medical Outcomes Study-HIV questionnaires. Demographic and biomedical data were collected. After item analysis and reduction, convergent discriminant concurrent validity and known-group validity were examined. Internal consistency and reliability scores were assessed using Cronbach alpha and intraclass correlation. The final sample of 791 patients was composed of 64% males (median age: 41 years, HIV diagnosis = 5 years), 13.8% were treatment naive. Item reduction yielded a 43-item form surveying 8 dimensions and 1 global health item that showed good convergent and discriminant validity and reliability (98% scaling success; Cronbach alphas 0.77-0.89). Correlations with EQ-5D and Medical Outcomes Study-HIV complied with concurrent validity expectations; likewise, correlations against the number of self-reported symptoms and depression showed good support for criterion validity. A test-retest study on French patients (n = 34) showed temporal stability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.86). Significant and meaningful differences of HRQL scores between countries were found. The Patient Reported Outcomes Quality of Life-HIV questionnaire is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing HRQL specific to HIV disease in different cultures and healthcare systems.

  8. The Thoughts Questionnaire (TQ) for family caregivers of people with dementia.

    PubMed

    Sullivan, Karen A; Beattie, Elizabeth; Khawaja, Nigar G; Wilz, Gabriele; Cunningham, Lauren

    2016-11-01

    To develop a new measure of dysfunctional thoughts for family caregivers of people living with dementia. These thoughts can contribute to negative outcomes, but they may be modifiable. A stepwise process was used to develop the Thoughts Questionnaire, commencing with item generation, concept mapping, and pilot testing in a sample of professional and nonprofessional caregivers of people with dementia (n = 18). Next, an independent sample of 35 family caregivers of people with dementia (30 female; M age  = 64.30, standard deviation = 10.65) completed: (a) the Thoughts Questionnaire; (b) an existing measure of dysfunctional thoughts, the Dementia Thoughts Caregivers Questionnaire; and (c) separate validated measures of depressive symptoms, caregiver stress, and coping, respectively. The level of agreement with dysfunctional thought statements from the Dementia Thoughts Caregivers Questionnaire and Thoughts Questionnaire was low. However, a small number of Thoughts Questionnaire statements were strongly endorsed by over 85% of the sample. Both dysfunctional thought measures had adequate reliability, but total scores were not significantly intercorrelated (r = .287, p = .095). Only the Thoughts Questionnaire was significantly, positively correlated with most caregiver stress measures. Thoughts Questionnaire items required a much lower reading level than the Dementia Thoughts Caregivers Questionnaire items. This study provides preliminary data on a tool for assessing the negative role-related thoughts that family caregivers of people with dementia may experience. Given that these thoughts are implicated in depression but they may be modified, the capacity to identify dysfunctional thoughts may prove useful in caregiver support programs. © The Author(s) 2014.

  9. Translation and validation of the Malay version of Shiffman-Jarvik withdrawal scale and cessation self-efficacy questionnaire: a review of psychometric properties.

    PubMed

    Teo, Eng Wah; Lee, Yuin Yi; Khoo, Selina; Morris, Tony

    2015-04-09

    Smoking tobacco is a major concern in Malaysia, with 23.1% of Malaysian adults smoking tobacco in 2012. Withdrawal symptoms and self-efficacy to quit smoking have been shown to have significant effects on the outcomes of smoking cessation. The Shiffman-Jarvik Withdrawal Scale (Psychopharmacology, 50: 35-39, 1976) and the Cessation Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (Cognitive Ther Res 5: 175-187, 1981) are two questionnaires that have been widely used in various smoking cessation research. The short SJWS consists of 15 items with five subscales: physical symptoms, psychological symptoms, stimulation/sedation, appetite, and cravings. The CSEQ is a 12-item questionnaire that assesses participant's self-efficacy to avoid smoking in various situations described in each item. The aim of this study was to translate and validate the Malay language version of the SJWS and the CSEQ. The SJWS and CSEQ were translated into the Malay language based on the back translation method. A total of 146 participants (25.08 ± 5.19 years) answered the translated questionnaires. Psychometrics properties such as reliability (internal consistency and test-retest) and validity (content validity, construct validity and face validity) were examined. Both questionnaires showed acceptable internal consistency; SJWS-M (α = 0.66) and CSEQ-M (α = 0.90) and good test-retest reliability; SJWS-M (r = 0.76) and the CSEQ-M (r = 0.80). SJWS-M (χ(2) = 15.964, GFI = 0.979, CFI = 1.000, RMSEA = 0.000, ChiSq/df = 0.939, AGFI = 0.933, TLI = 1.004, and NPI = 0.978) and CSEQ-M (of χ(2) = 35.16, GFI = 0.960, CFI = 0.999, RMSEA = 0.015, ChiSq/df = 1.034, AGFI = 0.908, TLI = 0.999, and NPI = 0.979) also showed good construct validity. Both questionnaires showed sufficient item to item convergent validity and item discriminant validity. Content validity was established (reassess) by experts in the field of psychology, culture and language whereas face validity was confirmed by smokers. The translated Malay version of the CSEQ-M and the SJWS-M showed great reliability and validity evidences therefore is an adequate and useful instrument to evaluate Malaysian smokers. Future studies could investigate differences in self-esteem between long-term and short-term smokers and evaluate the usability of these questionnaires in local smoking research and other Malay speaking countries (Brunei and Indonesia).

  10. Assessment of School-Based Quasi-Experimental Nutrition and Food Safety Health Education for Primary School Students in Two Poverty-Stricken Counties of West China.

    PubMed

    Shen, Minxue; Hu, Ming; Sun, Zhenqiu

    2015-01-01

    Few studies on nutrition and food safety education intervention for students in remote areas of China were reported. The study aimed to assess the questionnaire used to measure the knowledge, attitude and behavior with respect to nutrition and food safety, and to evaluate the effectiveness of a quasi-experimental nutrition and food safety education intervention among primary school students in poverty-stricken counties of west China. Twelve primary schools in west China were randomly selected from Zhen'an of Shaanxi province and Huize of Yunnan province. Six geographically dispersed schools were assigned to the intervention group in a nonrandom way. Knowledge, attitude and behavior questionnaire was developed, assessed, and used for outcome measurement. Students were investigated at baseline and the end of the study respectively without follow-up. Students in intervention group received targeted nutrition and food safety lectures 0.5 hour per week for two semesters. Item response theory was applied for assessment of questionnaire, and a two-level difference-in-differences model was applied to assess the effectiveness of the intervention. The Cronbach's alpha of the original questionnaire was 0.84. According to item response model, 22 knowledge items, 6 attitude items and 8 behavior items showed adequate discrimination parameter and were retained. 378 and 478 valid questionnaires were collected at baseline and the end point. Differences of demographic characteristics were statistically insignificant between the two groups. Two-level difference-in-differences models showed that health education improved 2.92 (95% CI: 2.06-3.78) and 2.92 (95% CI: 1.37-4.47) in knowledge and behavior scores respectively, but had no effect on attitude. The questionnaire met the psychometric standards and showed good internal consistence and discrimination power. The nutrition and food safety education was effective in improving the knowledge and behavior of primary school students in the two poverty-stricken counties of China.

  11. Pharmacy students' opinions of direct-to-consumer advertising: a pilot study at one university.

    PubMed

    Harrington, Amanda R; Desselle, Shane P; Apgar, David A; Hesselbacher, Elizabeth; Pié, Aaron; Quesnel, Aimee; Warholak, Terri L

    2013-01-01

    Direct-to-consumer advertisement (DTCA) of prescription medications has become an important informational source for health care consumers. As future health care professionals on the front line of potential communication and dispensing of products emerging from DTCA, it is important to elicit the attitudes of student-pharmacists. This study aims to (1) evaluate the validity of the DTCA attitudinal questionnaire using Rasch rating scale analysis and (2) investigate the attitudes of pharmacy students toward DTCA and determine whether these attitudes were associated with years of pharmacy education and demographic characteristics. This investigation used a cross-sectional print-based questionnaire to evaluate the attitudes of pharmacy students toward DTCA of prescription medications. The 16-item questionnaire included items addressing the attitudes of pharmacy students toward DTCA with respect to patients' knowledge of medications, pharmacists' interaction with patients, and overall consumer judgment of medical prescriptions. Analyses included Rasch analysis and a multiple linear regression. A total of 243 students submitted usable questionnaires (85% response rate). Item response categories were collapsed from 5 categories to 3, and 4 items were removed to achieve acceptable Rasch model fit. Pharmacy students demonstrated little difficulty in agreeing with the statements suggesting that DTCA helps patients take a more active role in health care and had the most difficulty in agreeing with items suggesting that DTCA may lead to inappropriate prescribing to satisfy patient requests. Students' overall support for DTCA was the only variable that predicted the questionnaire score (P<.001). In conclusion, the Rasch analysis evaluated the psychometric properties of the instrument and identified the necessity to adapt the questionnaire from previous iterations to adequately fit the student population. Future research should examine factors that contribute to the variance in attitudes toward DTCA among a larger and more heterogeneous population. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  12. A randomized trial of mailed questionnaires versus telephone interviews: Response patterns in a survey

    PubMed Central

    Feveile, Helene; Olsen, Ole; Hogh, Annie

    2007-01-01

    Background Data for health surveys are often collected using either mailed questionnaires, telephone interviews or a combination. Mode of data collection can affect the propensity to refuse to respond and result in different patterns of responses. The objective of this paper is to examine and quantify effects of mode of data collection in health surveys. Methods A stratified sample of 4,000 adults residing in Denmark was randomised to mailed questionnaires or computer-assisted telephone interviews. 45 health-related items were analyzed; four concerning behaviour and 41 concerning self assessment. Odds ratios for more positive answers and more frequent use of extreme response categories (both positive and negative) among telephone respondents compared to questionnaire respondents were estimated. Tests were Bonferroni corrected. Results For the four health behaviour items there were no significant differences in the response patterns. For 32 of the 41 health self assessment items the response pattern was statistically significantly different and extreme response categories were used more frequently among telephone respondents (Median estimated odds ratio: 1.67). For a majority of these mode sensitive items (26/32), a more positive reporting was observed among telephone respondents (Median estimated odds ratio: 1.73). The overall response rate was similar among persons randomly assigned to questionnaires (58.1%) and to telephone interviews (56.2%). A differential nonresponse bias for age and gender was observed. The rate of missing responses was higher for questionnaires (0.73 – 6.00%) than for telephone interviews (0 – 0.51%). The "don't know" option was used more often by mail respondents (10 – 24%) than by telephone respondents (2 – 4%). Conclusion The mode of data collection affects the reporting of self assessed health items substantially. In epidemiological studies, the method effect may be as large as the effects under investigation. Caution is needed when comparing prevalences across surveys or when studying time trends. PMID:17592653

  13. Are 2 Questions Enough to Screen for Depression and Anxiety in Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain?

    PubMed Central

    Lie, Stein Atle; Eriksen, Hege R.

    2014-01-01

    Study Design. Cross-sectional study. Objective. To examine the sensitivity of 2 single-item questions compared with 2 longer questionnaires for screening depression and anxiety among patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). Summary of Background Data. Psychosocial factors are frequently identified as risk factors for developing CLBP and as predictors for treatment, and questionnaires are often used to screen for this. Shorter instruments may be easier to use in clinical practice settings. Methods. A total of 564 patients with 2 to 10 months of at least 50% sickness absence due to nonspecific low back pain were assessed for depression and anxiety with the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Single-item questions for depression and anxiety from the Subjective Health Complaint Inventory and 2 longer questionnaires, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Hopkins Symptom Checklist–25, were compared with MINI results, considered the “gold standard” in this study. Sensitivity and specificity of single-item and longer questionnaires and receiver operating characteristic curves were compared. Results. According to MINI, the prevalence of anxiety disorders was 12% whereas that of depressive disorders was 4%. The screening questions showed 95% sensitivity and 56% specificity for depressive disorders and 68% sensitivity and 85% specificity for anxiety disorders. The longer questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, showed 91% sensitivity and 85% specificity for depressive disorders and 58% sensitivity and 83% specificity for anxiety disorders. Hopkins Symptom Checklist–25 showed 86% sensitivity and 74% specificity for depressive disorders and 67% sensitivity and 87% specificity for anxiety disorders. For 3 of the anxiety disorders and 2 of the depressive disorders, a perfect sensitivity was found between the screening questions and MINI. Conclusions. A single-item screening question was sensitive for depression but less sensitive for anxiety. The screening questions further performed equal to 2 widely used questionnaires. Validation of these results in other populations and compared with other short-item screeners is needed. Level of Evidence: 3 PMID:24480946

  14. Quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease: development of a questionnaire.

    PubMed Central

    de Boer, A G; Wijker, W; Speelman, J D; de Haes, J C

    1996-01-01

    OBJECTIVES--To develop and test a questionnaire for measuring quality of life in patients with Parkinson's disease. METHODS--An item pool was developed based on the experience of patients with Parkinson's disease and of neurologists; medical literature on the problems of patients with Parkinson's disease; and other quality of life questionnaires. To reduce the item pool, 13 patients identified items that were a problem to them and rated their importance. Items which were most often chosen and rated most important were included in the Parkinson's disease quality of life questionnaire (PDQL). The PDQL consists of 37 items. To evaluate the discriminant validity of the PDQL three groups of severity of disease were compared. To test for convergent validity, the scores of the PDQL were tested for correlation with standard indices of quality of life. RESULTS--The PDQL was filled out by 384 patients with Parkinson's disease. It consisted of four subscales: parkinsonian symptoms, systemic symptoms, emotional functioning, and social functioning. The internal-consistency reliability coefficients of the PDQL subscales were high (0.80-0.87). Patients with higher disease severity had significantly lower quality of life on all PDQL subscales (P < 0.05). Almost all PDQL subscales correlated highly (P < 0.001) with the corresponding scales of the standard quality of life indices. CONCLUSION--The PDQL is a relevant, reliable, and valid measure of the quality of life of patients with Parkinson's disease. Images PMID:8676165

  15. Surveys on the competencies of specialist occupational physicians and effective methods for acquisition of competencies in Japan.

    PubMed

    Mori, Koji; Nagata, Masako; Hiraoka, Mika; Kudo, Megumi; Nagata, Tomohisa; Kajiki, Shigeyuki

    2015-01-01

    The aim of this study was to study the necessary competencies for specialist occupational physicians in Japan and the effective training methods for acquiring them. A competency list (61 items) was developed for the questionnaires in the study by making use of existing competency lists from the Japan Society for Occupational Health (JSOH) as well as lists from the US and Europe. Certified senior occupational physicians (CSOPs) in the certification program of the JSOH completed a questionnaire on the necessary competencies. Examiners of the examination for certified occupational physicians (COPs) completed another questionnaire on effective training methods. All 61 competencies in the questionnaires were evaluated as "necessary". Some of the competencies in the list from the JSOH were evaluated lower than the items added from the American and European lists. When the respondents were categorized into a "practical group", the members of which mainly provided occupational health services, an "academic group", the members of which belonged to research or education institutes such as medical schools, and all others, the practical group evaluated some competencies significantly higher than the academic group, particularly those related to work accommodation. Among three options for training methods, the most effective methods were lectures and textbooks for 5 competency items, on-the-job training (OJT) for 30 items, and case-based learning (CBL) for 29 items. Some competencies should be added to the JSOH list. CBL should be introduced in training programs for specialist occupational physicians.

  16. The Quality of Working Life Questionnaire for Cancer Survivors (QWLQ-CS): a Pre-test Study.

    PubMed

    de Jong, Merel; Tamminga, Sietske J; de Boer, Angela G E M; Frings-Dresen, Monique H W

    2016-06-02

    Returning to and continuing work is important to many cancer survivors, but also represents a challenge. We know little about subjective work outcomes and how cancer survivors perceive being returned to work. Therefore, we developed the Quality of Working Life Questionnaire for Cancer Survivors (QWLQ-CS). Our aim was to pre-test the items of the initial QWLQ-CS on acceptability and comprehensiveness. In addition, item retention was performed by pre-assessing the relevance scores and response distributions of the items in the QWLQ-CS. Semi-structured interviews were conducted after cancer survivors, who had returned to work, filled in the 102 items of the QWLQ-CS. To improve acceptability and comprehensiveness, the semi-structured interview inquired about items that were annoying, difficult, confusing, twofold or redundant. If cancer survivors had difficulty explaining their opinion or emotion about an item, the interviewer used verbal probing technique to investigate the cancer survivor's underlying thoughts. The cancer survivors' comments on the items were analysed, and items were revised accordingly. Decisions on item retention regarding the relevance of items and the response distributions were made by means of pre-set decision rules. The 19 cancer survivors (53 % male) had a mean age of 51 ± 11 years old. They were diagnosed between 2009 and 2013 with lymphoma, leukaemia, prostate cancer, breast cancer, or colon cancer. Acceptability of the QWLQ-CS was good - none of the items were annoying - but 73 items were considered difficult, confusing, twofold or redundant. To improve acceptability, for instance, the authors replaced the phrase 'disease' with 'health situation' in several items. Consequently, comprehensiveness was improved by the authors rephrasing and adjusting items by adding clarifying words, such as 'in the work situation'. The pre-assessment of the relevance scores resulted in a sufficient number of cancer survivors indicating the items as relevant to their quality of working life, and no evident indication for uneven response distributions. Therefore, all items were retained. The 104 items of the preliminary QWLQ-CS were found relevant, acceptable and comprehensible by cancer survivors who have returned to work. The QWLQ-CS is now suitable for larger sample sizes of cancer survivors, which is necessary to test the psychometric properties of this questionnaire.

  17. Development and Psychometric Properties of a Survey to Assess Barriers to Implementing Advance Care Planning in Primary Care.

    PubMed

    Howard, Michelle; Day, Andrew G; Bernard, Carrie; Tan, Amy; You, John; Klein, Doug; Heyland, Daren K

    2018-01-01

    Valid and reliable measurement of barriers to advance care planning (ACP) in health care settings can inform the design of robust interventions. This article describes the development and psychometric evaluation of an instrument to measure the presence and magnitude of perceived barriers to ACP discussion with patients from the perspective of family physicians. A questionnaire was designed through literature review and expert input, asking family physicians to rate the importance of barriers (0 = not at all a barrier and 6 = an extreme amount) to ACP discussions with patients and administered to 117 physicians. Floor effects and missing data patterns were examined. Item-by-item correlations were examined using Pearson correlation. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted (iterated principle factor analysis with oblique rotation), internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) overall and within factors was calculated, and construct validity was evaluated by calculating three correlations with related questions that were specified a priori. The questionnaire included 31 questions in three domains relating to the clinician, patient/family and system or external factors. No items were removed due to missing data, floor effects, or high correlation with another item. A solution of three factors accounted for 71% of variance. One item was removed because it did not load strongly on any factor. All other items except one remained in the original domain in the questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha for the three factors ranged from 0.84 to 0.90. Two of three a priori correlations with related questions were statistically significant. This questionnaire to assess barriers to ACP discussion from the perspective of family physicians demonstrates preliminary evidence of reliability and validity. Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Decision analysis for a data collection system of patient-controlled analgesia with a multi-attribute utility model.

    PubMed

    Lee, I-Jung; Huang, Shih-Yu; Tsou, Mei-Yung; Chan, Kwok-Hon; Chang, Kuang-Yi

    2010-10-01

    Data collection systems are very important for the practice of patient-controlled analgesia (PCA). This study aimed to evaluate 3 PCA data collection systems and selected the most favorable system with the aid of multiattribute utility (MAU) theory. We developed a questionnaire with 10 items to evaluate the PCA data collection system and 1 item for overall satisfaction based on MAU theory. Three systems were compared in the questionnaire, including a paper record, optic card reader and personal digital assistant (PDA). A pilot study demonstrated a good internal and test-retest reliability of the questionnaire. A weighted utility score combining the relative importance of individual items assigned by each participant and their responses to each question was calculated for each system. Sensitivity analyses with distinct weighting protocols were conducted to evaluate the stability of the final results. Thirty potential users of a PCA data collection system were recruited in the study. The item "easy to use" had the highest median rank and received the heaviest mean weight among all items. MAU analysis showed that the PDA system had a higher utility score than that in the other 2 systems. Sensitivity analyses revealed that both inverse and reciprocal weighting processes favored the PDA system. High correlations between overall satisfaction and MAU scores from miscellaneous weighting protocols suggested a good predictive validity of our MAU-based questionnaire. The PDA system was selected as the most favorable PCA data collection system by the MAU analysis. The item "easy to use" was the most important attribute of the PCA data collection system. MAU theory can evaluate alternatives by taking into account individual preferences of stakeholders and aid in better decision-making. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Development and validation of a new questionnaire measuring treatment satisfaction in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation: SAFUCA®.

    PubMed

    Ruiz, Miguel A; González-Porras, José Ramón; Aranguren, José Luis; Franco, Eduardo; Villasante, Fernando; Tuñón, José; González-López, Tomás José; de Salas-Cansado, Marina; Soto, Javier

    2017-03-01

    To develop a new questionnaire with good psychometric properties to measure satisfaction with medical care in patients with non-valvular atrial fibrillation. The initial instrument was composed of 37 items, arranged in 6 dimensions: efficacy, ease and convenience, impact on daily activities, satisfaction with medical care, undesired effects of medication, and overall satisfaction. Items and dimensions were extracted from reviewing existing instruments, 3 focus groups with chronic patients, and a panel of 8 experts. Additionally, 3 visual analog scales measuring quality of life, effectiveness, and overall satisfaction were administered. A convenience sample of 119 patients was used for item reduction. Classic psychometric theory and item analysis techniques were used (exploratory factor and confirmatory factor analysis, test-retest, and correlation with visual scales). A validation sample of 230 patients was used to assess convergent validity, and an additional 220 patients sample was used to discriminate between treatment and compliance groups. The questionnaire was reduced in length to 25 items, but the impact dimension had split in treatment inconvenience and treatment control. Overall reliability was high (α = 0.861) with acceptable dimensional reliabilities (α = 0.764-0.908). Individual dimensions correlated to varying degrees. Test-retest correlations were high (r = 0.784-0.965), and correlations with visual and already validated scales were substantial. Differences were detected between antivitamin K and new-oral-anticoagulant treatments in several dimensions (p < 0.05). Treatment satisfaction was related with compliance. This new 25-item questionnaire has good psychometric properties for measuring satisfaction with medical care in patients with this condition. It is capable of detecting differences between different treatments.

  20. Validation of Catquest-9SF-A Visual Disability Instrument to Evaluate Patient Function After Corneal Transplantation.

    PubMed

    Claesson, Margareta; Armitage, W John; Byström, Berit; Montan, Per; Samolov, Branka; Stenvi, Ulf; Lundström, Mats

    2017-09-01

    Catquest-9SF is a 9-item visual disability questionnaire developed for evaluating patient-reported outcome measures after cataract surgery. The aim of this study was to use Rasch analysis to determine the responsiveness of Catquest-9SF for corneal transplant patients. Patients who underwent corneal transplantation primarily to improve vision were included. One group (n = 199) completed the Catquest-9SF questionnaire before corneal transplantation and a second independent group (n = 199) completed the questionnaire 2 years after surgery. All patients were recorded in the Swedish Cornea Registry, which provided clinical and demographic data for the study. Winsteps software v.3.91.0 (Winsteps.com, Beaverton, OR) was used to assess the fit of the Catquest-9SF data to the Rasch model. Rasch analysis showed that Catquest-9SF applied to corneal transplant patients was unidimensional (infit range, 0.73-1.32; outfit range, 0.81-1.35), and therefore, measured a single underlying construct (visual disability). The Rasch model explained 68.5% of raw variance. The response categories of the 9-item questionnaire were ordered, and the category thresholds were well defined. Item difficulty matched the level of patients' ability (0.36 logit difference between the means). Precision in terms of person separation (3.09) and person reliability (0.91) was good. Differential item functioning was notable for only 1 item (satisfaction with vision), which had a differential item functioning contrast of 1.08 logit. Rasch analysis showed that Catquest-9SF is a valid instrument for measuring visual disability in patients who have undergone corneal transplantation primarily to improve vision.

  1. A Spanish version of the Skin Cancer Index: a questionnaire for measuring quality of life in patients with cervicofacial nonmelanoma skin cancer.

    PubMed

    de Troya-Martín, M; Rivas-Ruiz, F; Blázquez-Sánchez, N; Fernández-Canedo, I; Aguilar-Bernier, M; Repiso-Jiménez, J B; Toribio-Montero, J C; Jones-Caballero, M; Rhee, J

    2015-01-01

    The Skin Cancer Index (SCI) is the first specific patient-reported outcome measure for patients with cervicofacial nonmelanoma skin cancer. To date, only the original English version has been published. To develop a Spanish version of the SCI that is semantically and linguistically equivalent to the original, and to evaluate its measurement properties in this different cultural environment. A cross-sectional study was conducted of the cultural adaptation and empirical validation of the questionnaire, analysing the psychometric properties of the new index at different stages. Of 440 patients recruited to the study, 431 (95%) completed the Spanish version of the SCI questionnaire, in a mean time of 6·3 min (SD 2·9). Factor analysis of the scale revealed commonality and loading values of < 0·5 for three of the 15 items. The remaining 12 items converged into two components: appearance/social aspects (seven items) and emotional aspects (five items). Both domains presented a high level of internal consistency, with Cronbach's alpha values above 0·8. The convergent-discriminant validity analysis produced correlations higher than 0·3 for the mental component of the Short Form Health Survey-12v2 Health Questionnaire (correlation coefficient 0·39) and the Dermatology Quality of Life Index (correlation coefficient -0·30). In the test-retest, nine of the 12 items produced a weighted kappa value exceeding 0·4, and for the remaining three items, the absolute agreement percentage exceeded 60%. The Spanish version of the SCI quality of life scale has been satisfactorily adapted and validated for use in Spanish-speaking countries and populations. © 2014 British Association of Dermatologists.

  2. Weight Bias: A Systematic Review of Characteristics and Psychometric Properties of Self-Report Questionnaires.

    PubMed

    Lacroix, Emilie; Alberga, Angela; Russell-Mathew, Shelly; McLaren, Lindsay; von Ranson, Kristin

    2017-01-01

    People living with overweight and obesity often experience weight-based stigmatization. Investigations of the prevalence and correlates of weight bias and evaluation of weight bias reduction interventions depend upon psychometrically-sound measurement. Our paper is the first to comprehensively evaluate the psychometric properties, use of people-first language within items, and suitability for use with various populations of available self-report measures of weight bias. We searched five electronic databases to identify English-language self-report questionnaires of weight bias. We rated each questionnaire's psychometric properties based on initial validation reports and subsequent use, and examined item language. Our systematic review identified 40 original self-report questionnaires. Most questionnaires were brief, demonstrated adequate internal consistency, and tapped key cognitive and affective dimensions of weight bias such as stereotypes and blaming. Current psychometric evidence is incomplete for many questionnaires, particularly with regard to the properties of test-retest reliability, sensitivity to change as well as discriminant and structural validity. Most questionnaires were developed prior to debate surrounding terminology preferences, and do not employ people-first language in the items administered to participants. We provide information and recommendations for clinicians and researchers in selecting psychometrically sound measures of weight bias for various purposes and populations, and discuss future directions to improve measurement of this construct. © 2017 The Author(s) Published by S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.

  3. A Multidimensional Computerized Adaptive Short-Form Quality of Life Questionnaire Developed and Validated for Multiple Sclerosis: The MusiQoL-MCAT.

    PubMed

    Michel, Pierre; Baumstarck, Karine; Ghattas, Badih; Pelletier, Jean; Loundou, Anderson; Boucekine, Mohamed; Auquier, Pascal; Boyer, Laurent

    2016-04-01

    The aim was to develop a multidimensional computerized adaptive short-form questionnaire, the MusiQoL-MCAT, from a fixed-length QoL questionnaire for multiple sclerosis.A total of 1992 patients were enrolled in this international cross-sectional study. The development of the MusiQoL-MCAT was based on the assessment of between-items MIRT model fit followed by real-data simulations. The MCAT algorithm was based on Bayesian maximum a posteriori estimation of latent traits and Kullback-Leibler information item selection. We examined several simulations based on a fixed number of items. Accuracy was assessed using correlations (r) between initial IRT scores and MCAT scores. Precision was assessed using the standard error measurement (SEM) and the root mean square error (RMSE).The multidimensional graded response model was used to estimate item parameters and IRT scores. Among the MCAT simulations, the 16-item version of the MusiQoL-MCAT was selected because the accuracy and precision became stable with 16 items with satisfactory levels (r ≥ 0.9, SEM ≤ 0.55, and RMSE ≤ 0.3). External validity of the MusiQoL-MCAT was satisfactory.The MusiQoL-MCAT presents satisfactory properties and can individually tailor QoL assessment to each patient, making it less burdensome to patients and better adapted for use in clinical practice.

  4. A Multidimensional Computerized Adaptive Short-Form Quality of Life Questionnaire Developed and Validated for Multiple Sclerosis

    PubMed Central

    Michel, Pierre; Baumstarck, Karine; Ghattas, Badih; Pelletier, Jean; Loundou, Anderson; Boucekine, Mohamed; Auquier, Pascal; Boyer, Laurent

    2016-01-01

    Abstract The aim was to develop a multidimensional computerized adaptive short-form questionnaire, the MusiQoL-MCAT, from a fixed-length QoL questionnaire for multiple sclerosis. A total of 1992 patients were enrolled in this international cross-sectional study. The development of the MusiQoL-MCAT was based on the assessment of between-items MIRT model fit followed by real-data simulations. The MCAT algorithm was based on Bayesian maximum a posteriori estimation of latent traits and Kullback–Leibler information item selection. We examined several simulations based on a fixed number of items. Accuracy was assessed using correlations (r) between initial IRT scores and MCAT scores. Precision was assessed using the standard error measurement (SEM) and the root mean square error (RMSE). The multidimensional graded response model was used to estimate item parameters and IRT scores. Among the MCAT simulations, the 16-item version of the MusiQoL-MCAT was selected because the accuracy and precision became stable with 16 items with satisfactory levels (r ≥ 0.9, SEM ≤ 0.55, and RMSE ≤ 0.3). External validity of the MusiQoL-MCAT was satisfactory. The MusiQoL-MCAT presents satisfactory properties and can individually tailor QoL assessment to each patient, making it less burdensome to patients and better adapted for use in clinical practice. PMID:27057832

  5. Psychometric analyses and internal consistency of the PHEEM questionnaire to measure the clinical learning environment in the clerkship of a Medical School in Chile.

    PubMed

    Riquelme, Arnoldo; Herrera, Cristian; Aranis, Carolina; Oporto, Jorge; Padilla, Oslando

    2009-06-01

    The Spanish version of the Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure (PHEEM) was evaluated in this study to determine its psychometric properties, validity and internal consistency to measure the clinical learning environment in the hospital setting of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Medical School's Internship. The 40-item PHEEM questionnaire was translated from English to Spanish and retranslated to English. Content validity was tested by a focus group and minor differences in meaning were adjusted. The PHEEM was administered to clerks in years 6 and 7. Construct validity was carried out using exploratory factor analysis followed by a Varimax rotation. Internal consistency was measured using Cronbach's alpha. A total of 125 out of 220 students responded to the PHEEM. The overall response rate was 56.8% and compliances with each item ranged from 99.2% to 100%. Analyses indicate that five factors instrument accounting for 58% of the variance and internal consistency of the 40-item questionnaire is 0.955 (Cronbach's alpha). The 40-item questionnaire had a mean score of 98.21 +/- 21.2 (maximum score of 160). The Spanish version of PHEEM is a multidimensional, valid and highly reliable instrument measuring the educational environment among undergraduate medical students working in hospital-based clerkships.

  6. Development and Validation Study of the Internet Overuse Screening Questionnaire

    PubMed Central

    Lee, Han-Kyeong; Lee, Hae-Woo; Han, Joo Hyun; Park, Subin; Ju, Seok-Jin; Choi, Kwanwoo; Lee, Ji Hyeon; Jeon, Hong Jin

    2018-01-01

    Objective Concerns over behavioral and emotional problems caused by excessive internet usage have been developed. This study intended to develop and a standardize questionnaire that can efficiently identify at-risk internet users through their internet usage habits. Methods Participants (n=158) were recruited at six I-will-centers located in Seoul, South Korea. From the initial 36 questionnaire item pool, 28 preliminary items were selected through expert evaluation and panel discussions. The construct validity, internal consistency, and concurrent validity were examined. We also conducted Receiver Operating Curve (ROC) analysis to assess diagnostic ability of the Internet Overuse Screening-Questionnaire (IOS-Q). Results The exploratory factor analysis yielded a five factor structure. Four factors with 17 items remained after items that had unclear factor loading were removed. The Cronbach’s alpha for the IOS-Q total score was 0.91, and test-retest reliability was 0.72. The correlation between Young’s internet addiction scale and K-scale supported concurrent validity. ROC analysis showed that the IOS-Q has superior diagnostic ability with the Area Under the Curve of 0.87. At the cut-off point of 25.5, the sensitivity was 0.93 and specificity was 0.86. Conclusion Overall, this study supports the use of IOS-Q for internet addiction research and for screening high-risk individuals. PMID:29669406

  7. Assessment of self-efficacy to employ self-initiated pornography use-reduction strategies.

    PubMed

    Kraus, Shane W; Rosenberg, Harold; Tompsett, Carolyn J

    2015-01-01

    This study evaluated several psychometric properties of a newly developed questionnaire designed to assess individuals' self-efficacy (from 0% to 100%) to employ self-initiated cognitive-behavioral strategies intended to reduce the frequency and duration of their pornography use. Using a web-based data collection procedure, we recruited 1298 male users of pornography to complete questionnaires assessing hypersexuality, pornography use history, and general self-efficacy. Based on a principal component analysis and examination of inter-item correlations, we deleted 13 items from the initial pool of 21 strategies. The resulting 8-item questionnaire had excellent internal consistency reliability, and a moderate mean inter-item correlation considered indicative of unidimensionality. In support of criterion validity, self-efficacy to employ use-reduction strategies was significantly associated with the frequency with which participants used pornography, with scores on a measure of hypersexuality, and with the number of times one had attempted to cut back using pornography. In support of discriminant validity, we found that pornography use-reduction self-efficacy scores were not strongly correlated with general self-efficacy. Both researchers and clinicians could use this questionnaire to assess pornography users' confidence to employ self-initiated strategies intended to reduce the duration and frequency with which they use pornography. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  8. Is embellishing UCAS personal statements accepted practice in applications to medicine and dentistry?

    PubMed

    Kumwenda, Ben; Dowell, Jon; Husbands, Adrian

    2013-07-01

    The assessment of non-academic achievements through the personal statement remains part of the selection process at most UK medical and dental schools. Such statement offers applicants an opportunity to highlight their non-academic achievements, but the highly competitive nature of the process may tempt them to exaggerate their accomplishments. The challenge is that selectors cannot discern applicants' exaggerated claims from genuine accounts and the system risks preferentially selecting dishonest applicants. To explore the level and perception of deception on UCAS personal statements among applicants to medical and dental schools. To investigate the association between attitudes towards deception and various other demographic variables and cognitive ability via the UKCAT. An online survey was completed with first year students from six UK medical schools and one dental school. Questionnaire items were classified into three categories involving individual acts, how they suspect their peers behave, and overall perceptions of personal statements to influence the selection process. Descriptive statistics were used to investigate responses to questionnaire items. t-Tests were used to investigate the relationship between items, demographic variables and cognitive ability. Candidates recognized that putting fraudulent information or exaggerating one's experience on UCAS personal statement was dishonest; however there is a widespread belief that their peers do it. Female respondents and those with a higher UKCAT score were more likely to condemn deceptive practices. The existing selection process is open to abuse and may benefit dishonest applicants. Admission systems should consider investing in systems that can pursue traceable information that applicants provide, and nullify the application should it contain fraudulent information.

  9. Relationship of psychosocial work factors and health-related quality of life in male automotive assembly workers in Malaysia.

    PubMed

    Edimansyah, Bin Abdin; Rusli, Bin Nordin; Naing, Lin; Mohamed Rusli, Bin Abdullah; Winn, Than

    2007-06-01

    The present study investigates the relationship between psychosocial work factors and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in male automotive assembly plant workers in Malaysia. A total of 728 male workers were recruited in March-July 2005 from 2 major automotive assembly plants in Selangor and Pahang. In this cross-sectional study, information on socio-demography, psychosocial work factors using the 97-item Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) and an abbreviated 26-item version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Brief Version (WHOQOL-BREF) questionnaire containing 4 domains (physical health, psychological, social relationship, and environment) was self-administered to all workers involved. The prevalence of reported good or very good overall HRQOL and general health was 64.9% and 53.7%, respectively. Multiple linear regression analysis indicated that created skill was positively associated with physical health and psychological domains; whilst, skill discretion was positively associated with social relationship and environment domains. Social support was positively associated with physical health and environment domains; whilst, co-worker support was positively associated with psychological and social relationship domains. Job insecurity and hazardous condition were negatively associated with all domains, whilst psychological job demands was negatively associated with the environment domain of HRQOL.

  10. Jobs, sex, love and lifestyle: when nonstutterers assume the roles of stutterers.

    PubMed

    Zhang, Jianliang; Saltuklaroglu, Tim; Hough, Monica; Kalinowski, Joseph

    2009-01-01

    This study assessed the impact of stuttering via a questionnaire in which fluent individuals were asked to assume the mindset of persons who stutter (PWS) in various life aspects, including vocation, romance, daily activities, friends/social life, family and general lifestyle. The perceived impact of stuttering through the mind's eyes of nonstutterers is supposed to reflect respondents' abilities to impart 'theory of mind' in addressing social penalties related to stuttering. Ninety-one university students answered a questionnaire containing 56 statements on a 7-point Likert scale. Forty-four participants (mean age = 20.4, SD = 4.4) were randomly selected to assume a stuttering identity and 47 respondents (mean age = 20.5, SD = 3.1) to assume their normally fluent identity. Significant differences between groups were found in more than two thirds of items regarding employment, romance, and daily activities, and in fewer than half of items regarding family, friend/social life, and general life style (p <0.001). The social penalties associated with stuttering appear to be apparent to fluent individuals, especially in areas of vocation, romance, and daily activities, suggesting that nonstuttering individuals, when assuming the role of PWS, are capable of at least temporarily feeling the negative impact of stuttering. Copyright 2008 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  11. A diagnostic model for the detection of sensitization to wheat allergens was developed and validated in bakery workers.

    PubMed

    Suarthana, Eva; Vergouwe, Yvonne; Moons, Karel G; de Monchy, Jan; Grobbee, Diederick; Heederik, Dick; Meijer, Evert

    2010-09-01

    To develop and validate a prediction model to detect sensitization to wheat allergens in bakery workers. The prediction model was developed in 867 Dutch bakery workers (development set, prevalence of sensitization 13%) and included questionnaire items (candidate predictors). First, principal component analysis was used to reduce the number of candidate predictors. Then, multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to develop the model. Internal validation and extent of optimism was assessed with bootstrapping. External validation was studied in 390 independent Dutch bakery workers (validation set, prevalence of sensitization 20%). The prediction model contained the predictors nasoconjunctival symptoms, asthma symptoms, shortness of breath and wheeze, work-related upper and lower respiratory symptoms, and traditional bakery. The model showed good discrimination with an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve area of 0.76 (and 0.75 after internal validation). Application of the model in the validation set gave a reasonable discrimination (ROC area=0.69) and good calibration after a small adjustment of the model intercept. A simple model with questionnaire items only can be used to stratify bakers according to their risk of sensitization to wheat allergens. Its use may increase the cost-effectiveness of (subsequent) medical surveillance.

  12. Validated Questionnaire of Maternal Attitude and Knowledge for Predicting Caries Risk in Children: Epidemiological Study in North Jakarta, Indonesia.

    PubMed

    Laksmiastuti, Sri Ratna; Budiardjo, Sarworini Bagio; Sutadi, Heriandi

    2017-06-01

    Predicting caries risk in children can be done by identifying caries risk factors. It is an important measure which contributes to best understanding of the cariogenic profile of the patient. Identification could be done by clinical examination and answering the questionnaire. We arrange the study to verify the questionnaire validation for predicting caries risk in children. The study was conducted on 62 pairs of mothers and their children, aged between 3 and 5 years. The questionnaire consists of 10 questions concerning mothers' attitude and knowledge about oral health. The reliability and validity test is based on Cronbach's alpha and correlation coefficient value. All question are reliable (Cronbach's alpha = 0.873) and valid (Corrected item-total item correlation >0.4). Five questionnaires of mother's attitude about oral health and five questionnaires of mother's knowledge about oral health are reliable and valid for predicting caries risk in children.

  13. Translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Clinical Competence Questionnaire for use in Brazil 1

    PubMed Central

    Kwiatkoski, Danielle Ritter; Mantovani, Maria de Fátima; Pereira, Evani Marques; Bortolato-Major, Carina; Mattei, Ângela Taís; Peres, Aida Maris

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Objective: translating and transculturally adapting the Clinical Competence Questionnaire to Brazilian senior undergraduate Nursing students, as well as measuring psychometric properties of the questionnaire. Method: a methodological study carried out in six steps: translation of the Clinical Competence Questionnaire instrument, consensus of the translations, back-translation, analysis by an expert committee, pre-testing and then presentation of the cross-cultural adaptation process to the developers. Psychometric properties were measured using Cronbach's alpha, intraclass correlation coefficient and content validity index. Results: the instrument was translated, transculturally adapted and its final version consisted of 48 items. Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.90, and the agreement index of the items was 99% for students and 98% for evaluators. Conclusion: the Clinical Competence Questionnaire was translated and adapted to Brazilian students, and the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the questionnaire presented satisfactory internal consistency regarding the studied sample. PMID:28591303

  14. Developing and validating a nutrition knowledge questionnaire: key methods and considerations.

    PubMed

    Trakman, Gina Louise; Forsyth, Adrienne; Hoye, Russell; Belski, Regina

    2017-10-01

    To outline key statistical considerations and detailed methodologies for the development and evaluation of a valid and reliable nutrition knowledge questionnaire. Literature on questionnaire development in a range of fields was reviewed and a set of evidence-based guidelines specific to the creation of a nutrition knowledge questionnaire have been developed. The recommendations describe key qualitative methods and statistical considerations, and include relevant examples from previous papers and existing nutrition knowledge questionnaires. Where details have been omitted for the sake of brevity, the reader has been directed to suitable references. We recommend an eight-step methodology for nutrition knowledge questionnaire development as follows: (i) definition of the construct and development of a test plan; (ii) generation of the item pool; (iii) choice of the scoring system and response format; (iv) assessment of content validity; (v) assessment of face validity; (vi) purification of the scale using item analysis, including item characteristics, difficulty and discrimination; (vii) evaluation of the scale including its factor structure and internal reliability, or Rasch analysis, including assessment of dimensionality and internal reliability; and (viii) gathering of data to re-examine the questionnaire's properties, assess temporal stability and confirm construct validity. Several of these methods have previously been overlooked. The measurement of nutrition knowledge is an important consideration for individuals working in the nutrition field. Improved methods in the development of nutrition knowledge questionnaires, such as the use of factor analysis or Rasch analysis, will enable more confidence in reported measures of nutrition knowledge.

  15. Patient health record on a smart card.

    PubMed

    Naszlady, A; Naszlady, J

    1998-02-01

    A validated health questionnaire has been used for the documentation of a patient's history (826 items) and of the findings from physical examination (591 items) in our clinical ward for 25 years. This computerized patient record has been completed in EUCLIDES code (CEN TC/251) for laboratory tests and an ATC and EAN code listing for the names of the drugs permanently required by the patient. In addition, emergency data were also included on an EEPROM chipcard with a 24 kb capacity. The program is written in FOX-PRO language. A group of 5000 chronically ill in-patients received these cards which contain their health data. For security reasons the contents of the smart card is only accessible by a doctor's PIN coded key card. The personalization of each card was carried out in our health center and the depersonalized alphanumeric data were collected for further statistical evaluation. This information served as a basis for a real need assessment of health care and for the calculation of its cost. Code-combined with an optical card, a completely paperless electronic patient record system has been developed containing all three information carriers in medicine: Texts, Curves and Pictures.

  16. Food-related Quality of Life in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Development and Validation of a Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Hughes, Lyndsay D; King, Laura; Morgan, Myfanwy; Ayis, Salma; Direkze, Natalie; Lomer, Miranda C; Lindsay, James O; Whelan, Kevin

    2016-02-01

    Psychosocial factors surrounding eating and drinking, such as enjoying food, managing restrictions, and maintaining social relationships, remain under-researched in inflammatory bowel disease [IBD]. This study aimed to develop and validate a food-related quality of life [FR-QoL] questionnaire to systematically measure these issues in the IBD population. Following semi-structured interviews with 28 IBD patients, 150 potential questionnaire items were generated. These were ranked by 100 IBD patients, and items were removed based on ceiling/floor effects and high inter-item correlations [> 0.7], with 41 items being retained. In total, 323 IBD patients, 100 asthma patients [chronic disease control], and 117 healthy controls completed the FR-QoL questionnaire, alongside generic and disease-specific QoL and food satisfaction questionnaires. Principal components analysis [PCA], construct and discriminant validity, and test-retest reliability were calculated. Twelve items were removed following PCA. The reduced questionnaire [FR-QoL-29] explained 63.9% of the variance [Cronbach's α = 0.96]. FR-QoL-29 correlated significantly with generic QoL [r = 0.697], depression [r = -0.519], anxiety [r = -0.531], and food satisfaction [r = 0.701]. The FR-QoL-29 sumscores were significantly lower for IBD (89.5, standard deviation [SD] 28.6) than asthma [125.4, SD 24.1; p < 0.001] and healthy volunteers [123.0, SD 16.5; p<0.001]. Within IBD, worse food-related QoL was found in those with moderate/high disease activity [66.7, SD 22.1] compared with remission/low disease activity [92.5, SD 28.1]. Test-retest reliability was good (intra-class correlation [ICC] = 0.83, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.76:0.88). The FR-QoL-29 shows good reliability and validity across a range of IBD characteristics. This easily administered questionnaire is a useful tool in identifying poor food-related QoL and in the future may identify areas for intervention. Copyright © 2015 European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation (ECCO). Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  17. Absenteeism screening questionnaire (ASQ): a new tool for predicting long-term absenteeism among workers with low back pain.

    PubMed

    Truchon, Manon; Schmouth, Marie-Ève; Côté, Denis; Fillion, Lise; Rossignol, Michel; Durand, Marie-José

    2012-03-01

    Over the last decades, psychosocial factors were identified by many studies as significant predictive variables in the development of disability related to common low back disorders, which thus contributed to the development of biopsychosocial prevention interventions. Biopsychosocial interventions were supposed to be more effective than usual interventions in improving different outcomes. Unfortunately, most of these interventions show inconclusive results. The use of screening questionnaires was proposed as a solution to improve their efficacy. The aim of this study was to validate a new screening questionnaire to identify workers at risk of being absent from work for more than 182 cumulative days and who are more susceptible to benefit from prevention interventions. Injured workers receiving income replacement benefits from the Quebec Compensation Board (n = 535) completed a 67-item questionnaire in the sub-acute stage of pain and provided information about work-related events 6 and 12 months later. Reliability and validity of the 67-item questionnaire were determined respectively by test-retest reliability and internal consistency analysis, as well as by construct validity analyses. The Cox regression model and the maximum likelihood method were used to fix a model allowing calculation of a probability of absence of more than 182 days. Criterion validity and discriminative capacity of this model were calculated. Sub-sections from the 67-item questionnaire were moderately to highly correlated 2 weeks later (r = 0.52-0.80) and showed moderate to good internal consistency (0.70-0.94). Among the 67-item questionnaire, six sub-sections and variables (22 items) were predictive of long-term absence from work: fear-avoidance beliefs related to work, return to work expectations, annual family income before-taxes, last level of education attained, work schedule and work concerns. The area under the ROC curve was 73%. The significant predictive variables of long-term absence from work were dominated by workplace conditions and individual perceptions about work. In association with individual psychosocial variables, these variables could contribute to identify potentially useful prevention interventions and to reduce the significant costs associated with LBP long-term absenteeism.

  18. A 7-item version of the fatigue severity scale has better psychometric properties among HIV-infected adults: an application of a Rasch model.

    PubMed

    Lerdal, Anners; Kottorp, Anders; Gay, Caryl; Aouizerat, Bradley E; Portillo, Carmen J; Lee, Kathryn A

    2011-11-01

    To examine the psychometric properties of the 9-item Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) using a Rasch model application. A convenience sample of HIV-infected adults was recruited, and a subset of the sample was assessed at 6-month intervals for 2 years. Socio-demographic, clinical, and symptom data were collected by self-report questionnaires. CD4 T-cell count and viral load measures were obtained from medical records. The Rasch analysis included 316 participants with 698 valid questionnaires. FSS item 2 did not advanced monotonically, and items 1 and 2 did not show acceptable goodness-of-fit to the Rasch model. A reduced FSS 7-item version demonstrated acceptable goodness-of-fit and explained 61.2% of the total variance in the scale. In the FSS-7 item version, no uniform Differential Item Functioning was found in relation to time of evaluation or to any of the socio-demographic or clinical variables. This study demonstrated that the FSS-7 has better psychometric properties than the FSS-9 in this HIV sample and that responses to the different items are comparable over time and unrelated to socio-demographic and clinical variables.

  19. Development and validation of a tool to assess knowledge and attitudes towards generic medicines among students in Greece: The ATtitude TOwards GENerics (ATTOGEN) questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Domeyer, Philip J; Aletras, Vassilis; Anagnostopoulos, Fotios; Katsari, Vasiliki; Niakas, Dimitris

    2017-01-01

    The use of generic medicines is a cost-effective policy, often dictated by fiscal restraints. To our knowledge, no fully validated tool exploring the students' knowledge and attitudes towards generic medicines exists. The aim of our study was to develop and validate a questionnaire exploring the knowledge and attitudes of M.Sc. in Health Care Management students and recent alumni's towards generic drugs in Greece. The development of the questionnaire was a result of literature review and pilot-testing of its preliminary versions to researchers and students. The final version of the questionnaire contains 18 items measuring the respondents' knowledge and attitude towards generic medicines on a 5-point Likert scale. Given the ordinal nature of the data, ordinal alpha and polychoric correlations were computed. The sample was randomly split into two halves. Exploratory factor analysis, performed in the first sample, was used for the creation of multi-item scales. Confirmatory factor analysis and Generalized Linear Latent and Mixed Model analysis (GLLAMM) with the use of the rating scale model were used in the second sample to assess goodness of fit. An assessment of internal consistency reliability, test-retest reliability, and construct validity was also performed. Among 1402 persons contacted, 986 persons completed our questionnaire (response rate = 70.3%). Overall Cronbach's alpha was 0.871. The conjoint use of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis resulted in a six-scale model, which seemed to fit the data well. Five of the six scales, namely trust, drug quality, state audit, fiscal impact and drug substitution were found to be valid and reliable, while the knowledge scale suffered only from low inter-scale correlations and a ceiling effect. However, the subsequent confirmatory factor and GLLAMM analyses indicated a good fit of the model to the data. The ATTOGEN instrument proved to be a reliable and valid tool, suitable for assessing students' knowledge and attitudes towards generic medicines.

  20. Item response theory analysis of the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire.

    PubMed

    Costa, Daniel S J; Asghari, Ali; Nicholas, Michael K

    2017-01-01

    The Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) is a 10-item instrument designed to assess the extent to which a person in pain believes s/he is able to accomplish various activities despite their pain. There is strong evidence for the validity and reliability of both the full-length PSEQ and a 2-item version. The purpose of this study is to further examine the properties of the PSEQ using an item response theory (IRT) approach. We used the two-parameter graded response model to examine the category probability curves, and location and discrimination parameters of the 10 PSEQ items. In item response theory, responses to a set of items are assumed to be probabilistically determined by a latent (unobserved) variable. In the graded-response model specifically, item response threshold (the value of the latent variable for which adjacent response categories are equally likely) and discrimination parameters are estimated for each item. Participants were 1511 mixed, chronic pain patients attending for initial assessment at a tertiary pain management centre. All items except item 7 ('I can cope with my pain without medication') performed well in IRT analysis, and the category probability curves suggested that participants used the 7-point response scale consistently. Items 6 ('I can still do many of the things I enjoy doing, such as hobbies or leisure activity, despite pain'), 8 ('I can still accomplish most of my goals in life, despite the pain') and 9 ('I can live a normal lifestyle, despite the pain') captured higher levels of the latent variable with greater precision. The results from this IRT analysis add to the body of evidence based on classical test theory illustrating the strong psychometric properties of the PSEQ. Despite the relatively poor performance of Item 7, its clinical utility warrants its retention in the questionnaire. The strong psychometric properties of the PSEQ support its use as an effective tool for assessing self-efficacy in people with pain. Copyright © 2016 Scandinavian Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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