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Journal of Human Lactation : Official... Feb 2017Breastfeeding provides beneficial health outcomes for infants and their mothers, and increasing its practice is a national priority in many countries. Despite increasing... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Breastfeeding provides beneficial health outcomes for infants and their mothers, and increasing its practice is a national priority in many countries. Despite increasing support to exclusively breastfeed, the prevalence at 6 months remains low. Breastfeeding behavior is influenced by a myriad of determinants, including breastfeeding attitudes, knowledge, and social support. Effective measurement of these determinants is critical to provide optimal support for women throughout the breastfeeding period. However, there are a multitude of available instruments measuring these constructs, which makes identification of an appropriate instrument challenging. Research aim: Our aim was to identify and critically examine the existing instruments measuring breastfeeding attitudes, knowledge, and social support.
METHODS
A total of 16 instruments was identified. Each instrument's purpose, theoretical underpinnings, and validity were analyzed.
RESULTS
An overview, validation and adaptation for use in other settings was assessed for each instrument. Depth of reporting and validation testing differed greatly between instruments.
CONCLUSION
Content, construct, and predictive validity were present for most but not all scales. When selecting and adapting instruments, attention should be paid to domains within the scale, number of items, and adaptation.
Topics: Breast Feeding; Female; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Infant; Infant, Newborn; Psychometrics; Reproducibility of Results; Social Support; Weights and Measures
PubMed: 28135474
DOI: 10.1177/0890334416677029 -
Implementation Science : IS Dec 2022Sustainability is concerned with the long-term delivery and subsequent benefits of evidence-based interventions. To further this field, we require a strong understanding... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Sustainability is concerned with the long-term delivery and subsequent benefits of evidence-based interventions. To further this field, we require a strong understanding and thus measurement of sustainability and what impacts sustainability (i.e., sustainability determinants). This systematic review aimed to evaluate the quality and empirical application of measures of sustainability and sustainability determinants for use in clinical, public health, and community settings.
METHODS
Seven electronic databases, reference lists of relevant reviews, online repositories of implementation measures, and the grey literature were searched. Publications were included if they reported on the development, psychometric evaluation, or empirical use of a multi-item, quantitative measure of sustainability, or sustainability determinants. Eligibility was not restricted by language or date. Eligibility screening and data extraction were conducted independently by two members of the research team. Content coverage of each measure was assessed by mapping measure items to relevant constructs of sustainability and sustainability determinants. The pragmatic and psychometric properties of included measures was assessed using the Psychometric and Pragmatic Evidence Rating Scale (PAPERS). The empirical use of each measure was descriptively analyzed.
RESULTS
A total of 32,782 articles were screened from the database search, of which 37 were eligible. An additional 186 publications were identified from the grey literature search. The 223 included articles represented 28 individual measures, of which two assessed sustainability as an outcome, 25 covered sustainability determinants and one explicitly assessed both. The psychometric and pragmatic quality was variable, with PAPERS scores ranging from 14 to 35, out of a possible 56 points. The Provider Report of Sustainment Scale had the highest PAPERS score and measured sustainability as an outcome. The School-wide Universal Behaviour Sustainability Index-School Teams had the highest PAPERS score (score=29) of the measure of sustainability determinants.
CONCLUSIONS
This review can be used to guide selection of the most psychometrically robust, pragmatic, and relevant measure of sustainability and sustainability determinants. It also highlights that future research is needed to improve the psychometric and pragmatic quality of current measures in this field.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
This review was prospectively registered with Research Registry (reviewregistry1097), March 2021.
Topics: Humans; Public Health; Psychometrics
PubMed: 36514059
DOI: 10.1186/s13012-022-01252-1 -
Journal of Patient-reported Outcomes Mar 2023The EuroQol Group has developed an extended version of the EQ-5D-Y-3L with five response levels for each of its five dimensions (EQ-5D-Y-5L). The psychometric...
OBJECTIVES
The EuroQol Group has developed an extended version of the EQ-5D-Y-3L with five response levels for each of its five dimensions (EQ-5D-Y-5L). The psychometric performance has been reported in several studies for the EQ-5D-Y-3L but not for the EQ-5D-Y-5L. This study aimed to psychometrically evaluate the EQ-5D-Y-3L and EQ-5D-Y-5L Chichewa (Malawi) versions.
METHODS
The EQ-5D-Y-3L, EQ-5D-Y-5L and PedsQL™ 4.0 Chichewa versions were administered to children and adolescents aged 8-17 years in Blantyre, Malawi. Both of the EQ-5D-Y versions were evaluated for missing data, floor/ceiling effects, and validity (convergent, discriminant, known-group and empirical).
RESULTS
A total of 289 participants (95 healthy, and 194 chronic and acute) self-completed the questionnaires. There was little problem with missing data (< 5%) except in children aged 8-12 years particularly for the EQ-5D-Y-5L. Ceiling effects was generally reduced in moving from the EQ-5D-Y-3L to the EQ-5D-Y-5L. For both EQ-5D-Y-3L and EQ-5D-Y-5L, convergent validity tested with PedsQL™ 4.0 was found to be satisfactory (correlation ≥ 0.4) at scale level but mixed at dimension /sub-scale level. There was evidence of discriminant validity (p > 0.05) with respect to gender and age, but not for school grade (p < 0.05). For empirical validity, the EQ-5D-Y-5L was 31-91% less efficient than the EQ-5D-Y-3L at detecting differences in health status using external measures.
CONCLUSIONS
Both versions of the EQ-5D-Y-3L and EQ-5D-Y-5L had issues with missing data in younger children. Convergent validity, discriminant validity with respect to gender and age, and known-group validity of either measures were also met for use among children and adolescents in this population, although with some limitations (discriminant validity by grade and empirical validity). The EQ-5D-Y-3L seems particularly suited for use in younger children (8-12 years) and the EQ-5D-Y-5L in adolescents (13-17 years). However, further psychometric testing is required for test re-test reliability and responsiveness that could not be carried out in this study due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Topics: Humans; Adolescent; Child; Quality of Life; Psychometrics; Malawi; Reproducibility of Results; COVID-19; Health Status
PubMed: 36892714
DOI: 10.1186/s41687-023-00560-4 -
Nutrients Oct 2022The Mediterranean Lifestyle (MLS) has been related to better health and quality of life. However, there is no consensus on how to assess this lifestyle. The main... (Review)
Review
The Mediterranean Lifestyle (MLS) has been related to better health and quality of life. However, there is no consensus on how to assess this lifestyle. The main objective of this work was to systematically review the methodology used in different studies on the evaluation of the MLS. The specific objectives were (1) to analyze the MLS components evaluated in previous studies, (2) to explore the assessment instruments available for the analysis of the MLS, and (3) to identify the psychometric properties of these instruments. The search was carried out using the PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and ScienceDirect databases with the purpose of identifying those published articles in which the MLS was assessed. The review included 26 studies linked to the assessment of the MLS. Of these studies, only four exclusively used a tool to analyze MLS components globally. These studies included two questionnaires and three different indexes. None of them, however, evaluated all of the recognized MLS components, and food preparation was the least frequently evaluated component. Given the clear importance of analyzing MLS adherence and the lack of consensus in previous research, an evaluation tool needs to be created to comprehensively assess all of the MLS dimensions by means of appropriate psychometric properties.
Topics: Consensus; Life Style; Psychometrics; Quality of Life; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 36235832
DOI: 10.3390/nu14194179 -
American Journal on Intellectual and... May 2024Measurement invariance (MI) is a psychometric property of an instrument indicating the degree to which scores from an instrument are comparable across groups. In recent... (Review)
Review
Measurement invariance (MI) is a psychometric property of an instrument indicating the degree to which scores from an instrument are comparable across groups. In recent years, there has been a marked uptick in publications using MI in intellectual and developmental disability (IDD) samples. Our goal here is to provide an overview of why MI is important to IDD researchers and to describe some challenges to evaluating it, with an eye towards nudging our subfield into a more thoughtful and measured interpretation of studies using MI.
Topics: Humans; Intellectual Disability; Developmental Disabilities; Psychometrics; Biomedical Research
PubMed: 38657963
DOI: 10.1352/1944-7558-129.3.191 -
PloS One 2023Research and clinical interest in self-compassion has grown due to its associations with physical and mental health benefits. Widely used measures of self-compassion...
Research and clinical interest in self-compassion has grown due to its associations with physical and mental health benefits. Widely used measures of self-compassion have conceptual and psychometric limitations that warrant attention. The purpose of this project was to develop a new self-compassion measure, the Brief Self-Compassion Inventory (BSCI), and test its psychometric properties. We developed items for the BSCI based on theory, prior research, and expert and cancer patient feedback. The BSCI was then tested with adults diagnosed with breast, gastrointestinal, lung, or prostate cancer (N = 404). Confirmatory factor analysis suggested a unidimensional structure, and internal consistency reliability was excellent. Construct validity of the BSCI was established through its correlations with psychological variables hypothesized to be related to self-compassion, such as mindfulness, acceptance of cancer, and other coping strategies. Furthermore, measurement invariance testing of the BSCI indicated that it could be used across patients of varying genders, cancer types, and stages of illness. In conclusion, the 5-item BSCI was determined to be psychometrically sound and suitable for use with adults of varying genders, cancer types, and stages of disease. The measure warrants testing with other medical and nonclinical populations.
Topics: Adult; Humans; Male; Self-Compassion; Reproducibility of Results; Psychometrics; Prostatic Neoplasms; Adaptation, Psychological; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 37172068
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0285658 -
PloS One 2017Improving social inclusion opportunities for population health has been identified as a priority area for international policy. There is a need to comprehensively... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
INTRODUCTION
Improving social inclusion opportunities for population health has been identified as a priority area for international policy. There is a need to comprehensively examine and evaluate the quality of psychometric properties of measures of social inclusion that are used to guide social policy and outcomes.
OBJECTIVE
To conduct a systematic review of the literature on all current measures of social inclusion for any population group, to evaluate the quality of the psychometric properties of identified measures, and to evaluate if they capture the construct of social inclusion.
METHODS
A systematic search was performed using five electronic databases: CINAHL, PsycINFO, Embase, ERIC and Pubmed and grey literature were sourced to identify measures of social inclusion. The psychometric properties of the social inclusion measures were evaluated against the COSMIN taxonomy of measurement properties using pre-set psychometric criteria.
RESULTS
Of the 109 measures identified, twenty-five measures, involving twenty-five studies and one manual met the inclusion criteria. The overall quality of the reviewed measures was variable, with the Social and Community Opportunities Profile-Short, Social Connectedness Scale and the Social Inclusion Scale demonstrating the strongest evidence for sound psychometric quality. The most common domain included in the measures was connectedness (21), followed by participation (19); the domain of citizenship was covered by the least number of measures (10). No single instrument measured all aspects within the three domains of social inclusion. Of the measures with sound psychometric evidence, the Social and Community Opportunities Profile-Short captured the construct of social inclusion best.
CONCLUSIONS
The overall quality of the psychometric properties demonstrate that the current suite of available instruments for the measurement of social inclusion are promising but need further refinement. There is a need for a universal working definition of social inclusion as an overarching construct for ongoing research in the area of the psychometric properties of social inclusion instruments.
Topics: Humans; Psychometrics; Quality of Life; Social Behavior; Social Participation; Socioeconomic Factors
PubMed: 28598984
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0179109 -
Psychometrika Mar 2021In this article, we present the findings of an oral history project on the past, present, and future of psychometrics, as obtained through structured interviews with...
In this article, we present the findings of an oral history project on the past, present, and future of psychometrics, as obtained through structured interviews with twenty past Psychometric Society presidents. Perspectives on how psychometrics should be practiced vary strongly. Some presidents are psychology-oriented, whereas others have a more mathematical or statistical approach. The originally strong relationship between psychometrics and psychology has weakened, and contemporary psychometrics has become a diverse and multifaceted discipline. The presidents are confident psychometrics will continue to be relevant but believe psychometrics needs to become better at selling its strong points to relevant research areas. We recommend for psychometrics to cherish its plurality and make its goals and priorities explicit.
Topics: Psychometrics
PubMed: 33770319
DOI: 10.1007/s11336-021-09752-7 -
The Journal of Rural Health : Official... Jun 2022To develop and psychometrically evaluate a brief measure of the telemental health experience among people receiving psychiatric and psychological care-the Telepsych User...
PURPOSE
To develop and psychometrically evaluate a brief measure of the telemental health experience among people receiving psychiatric and psychological care-the Telepsych User Experience Scale (TUES).
METHODS
The TUES was administered at 6 months to 364 study participants who screened positive for posttraumatic stress disorder and/or bipolar disorder and used telepsych services. The factor structure of the TUES was examined using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Psychometric testing of the final scale examined (1) internal reliability, (2) criterion validity, (3) convergent validity, and (4) test-retest reliability using omega coefficients, negative binomial regression, and correlations, respectively. A week after the 12-month follow-up survey was completed, a retest was administered to 29 patients to assess reliability.
FINDINGS
Factor analytic methods indicated a single latent factor (user experience) and correlated error variance (method effect of item wording) for 2 items. To enhance clinical utility, we removed the 2 negatively worded items, resulting in a 5-item scale. Confirmatory analyses indicated excellent fit of the final model, which retained the best performing items from each hypothesized construct. The TUES demonstrated evidence of internal consistency (omega = 0.88-0.90), convergent validity, (r = 0.58), and criterion validity through telepsych engagement (incidence rate ratio = 1.19, P < .001), though test-retest reliability was unacceptable (r = 0.41).
CONCLUSION
The TUES is a pragmatic instrument with evidence of validity and internal reliability. Replication is necessary, but this initial psychometric evaluation suggests the TUES is a promising, brief yet comprehensive measure of telemental health user experience with clinical populations in rural settings.
Topics: Factor Analysis, Statistical; Humans; Psychometrics; Reproducibility of Results; Rural Population; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 34957607
DOI: 10.1111/jrh.12640 -
Psychometrika Jun 2019In this paper, we present the academic genealogy of presidents of the Psychometric Society by constructing a genealogical tree, in which Ph.D. students are encoded as...
In this paper, we present the academic genealogy of presidents of the Psychometric Society by constructing a genealogical tree, in which Ph.D. students are encoded as descendants of their advisors. Results show that most of the presidents belong to five distinct lineages that can be traced to Wilhelm Wundt, James Angell, William James, Albert Michotte or Carl Friedrich Gauss. Important psychometricians Lee Cronbach and Charles Spearman play only a marginal role. The genealogy systematizes important historical knowledge that can be used to inform studies on the history of psychometrics and exposes the rich and multidisciplinary background of the Psychometric Society.
Topics: History, 20th Century; Humans; Pedigree; Psychometrics
PubMed: 30656499
DOI: 10.1007/s11336-018-09651-4