Reliability and validity of the Japanese version of the Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale

Concerned with the importance of prevailing knowledge about dementia in supporting those with dementia, large-scale educational programs have been implemented in some countries. Although Japan is one of those few countries, the experience from Japanese programs has been rarely shared because of the lack of a standardized measurement for assessing knowledge about dementia. This study aims to develop a Japanese version of the Alzheimer's Disease Knowledge Scale (JADKS) and to examine its reliability and validity. The JADKS was developed through a translation-back-translation process and was distributed to 837 people including university students, community-dwelling older people, health and welfare professionals, and family caregivers. Using data from the 566 participants who fully completed the questionnaire, test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and concurrent validity were evaluated. The results indicate that the JADKS has acceptable psychometric properties. The JADKS may be useful in assessing knowledge about dementia and could help compare effectiveness of educational programs.