Confirmatory and Exploratory Factor Analysis for Validating the Phlegm Pattern Questionnaire for Healthy Subjects.

Area of Science:

• Integrative Medicine
• Traditional East Asian Medicine
• Psychometrics

Background:

• The Phlegm Pattern Questionnaire (PPQ) is used in Korean and Traditional Chinese Medicine to diagnose phlegm patterns.
• Previous PPQ validation used a general patient population without strict inclusion/exclusion criteria.

Purpose of the Study:

• To re-evaluate the construct validity of the PPQ using a new dataset.
• To determine the feasibility of applying the PPQ to a healthy population.

Main Methods:

• 286 healthy subjects completed the PPQ.
• Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) were performed.
• Factor structures from CFA and EFA were compared.

Main Results:

• Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) yielded acceptable model fit indices (RMSEA = 0.074, CFI = 0.839, TLI = 0.860).
• Discriminant validity was somewhat insufficient, indicated by average variances extracted being smaller than factor correlations.
• Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) provided an alternative factor structure.

Conclusions:

• The PPQ demonstrates clinically acceptable model fits and good internal consistency in healthy individuals.
• The study supports the feasibility of using the PPQ in a healthy population.
• The PPQ exhibits relatively good construct validity for this demographic.