Abstract
This study aimed to develop a new questionnaire on “attitudes toward oral self-care” in Iranian adolescents.
Method: A primary version of the questionnaire was reviewed by an expert panel (8 specialists) in order to determine the content validity index. The face validity was then evaluated in a sample of 20 schoolchildren. According to sample size calculation with 95% α and power 80%, the final version was tested on 200 subjects aged from13-18 years, by non-randomised purposeful sampling based on the region of residency (social status). Ethical approval from the ethics committee of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences and informed consent were achieved prior to study. The reliability coefficients and the attitude score were calculated. The construct validity was evaluated using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis.
Results: The final version of the questionnaire contained 40 questions and had a corrected Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.7. There was a 98% response rate, the cases (mean age 15.9) had a mean attitude score of 104±15. The correlation between attitude score and social status was statistically significant (p=0.03). Using exploratory factor analysis the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy was 0.7 and the Bartletts test was significant. Five factors accounted for about 38% of the total variance. The suggested model consisted of subdomains like values (appearance, function), affects (positive, negative, neutral, threatening life), parent’s effect, social impact and knowledge of caries, and was acceptable after applying confirmatory factor analysis, with a moderate goodness of fit.
Conclusions: The “attitudes toward oral self-care” questionnaire used with Iranian adolescents in this study is reliable and valid in content and construct.
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