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Development of a screening tool in Arabic for respiratory health problems
Author(s) -
Shishani K.
Publication year - 2008
Publication title -
international nursing review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.84
H-Index - 51
eISSN - 1466-7657
pISSN - 0020-8132
DOI - 10.1111/j.1466-7657.2008.00618.x
Subject(s) - cronbach's alpha , medicine , asthma , construct validity , respiratory system , environmental health , arabic , scale (ratio) , reliability (semiconductor) , content validity , physical therapy , clinical psychology , psychometrics , psychiatry , geography , linguistics , philosophy , power (physics) , physics , cartography , quantum mechanics
Aim: The objective of this study was to develop a tool in the Arabic language for screening of respiratory health problems in air polluted areas. This was the first stage in a multistage study. Design: A descriptive design was utilized. Sample: One hundred adults aged 18 years or more living in an air polluted area in Jordan were recruited using a convenience sampling technique. Results: The Respiratory Risk Profile, generated from a synthesis of international epidemiological studies, had excellent reliability coefficients with an internal consistency coefficient (Cronbach's alpha) of 0.92. The strong item–scale correlations (0.48–0.76) showed that all of the items contributed to the measurement of the respiratory symptoms. Construct validity was assessed by a factor analysis, and a two‐factor model had a good fit to the data. The two factors (upper respiratory symptoms and lower respiratory symptoms) explained 50% and 12% of the total variance, respectively. Conclusion: Approximately half of the study participants (49%) complained of difficulty breathing in the past 3 months. About 10% of the respondents reported that they were currently taking asthma medications. The present psychometric analyses showed that the Respiratory Risk Profile is a valid and reliable screening tool for respiratory health problems in adult populations living in polluted areas.