A low-birth-weight risk assessment scale: development and validation through a questionnaire-based survey

Area of Science:

• Maternal and Child Health
• Pediatrics
• Public Health

Background:

• Declining birth weights in Japan are linked to societal changes and food availability.
• Identifying risk factors for low birth weight (LBW) in term infants is crucial for intervention.
• Existing assessment methods may not adequately capture the multifactorial nature of LBW.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a reliable and valid scale for assessing risk factors associated with low birth weight in term infants.
• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the newly developed LBW risk assessment scale.
• To provide a tool for early identification of pregnancies at risk for delivering LBW infants.

Main Methods:

• A self-administered postal questionnaire was distributed to mothers of nursery/kindergarten-aged children.
• Exploratory factor analysis (principal factor method, promax rotation) was used to confirm the scale's factor structure.
• Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha and item-total correlation; validity was confirmed through known-groups and internal validity analyses.

Main Results:

• A 25-item scale was developed, encompassing nine factors including guidance, rest, spousal/family/societal support, and lifestyle habits.
• The overall Cronbach's alpha for the scale was 0.701, indicating good internal consistency.
• Known-groups validity was established, with significant differences in scale scores based on birth weight, birth history, and maternal smoking status.

Conclusions:

• The developed scale demonstrates strong reliability and validity for assessing low birth weight risk factors.
• This scale can serve as a valuable indicator for identifying pregnancies at risk of LBW.
• Future integration into medical questionnaires could enhance health guidance for at-risk pregnant women.