Development and validation of a COVID-19 risk perception scale in Peru

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Public Health
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Risk perception of COVID-19 varies significantly across populations.
• No validated scale existed to measure COVID-19 risk perception in the Peruvian population.
• Understanding this perception is crucial for public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a reliable scale for measuring COVID-19 risk perception in Peru (PR-COVID-19-PE).
• To assess the cognitive and emotional dimensions of risk perception.
• To provide a tool for identifying variations in risk perception based on contextual and psychological factors.

Main Methods:

• A psychometric cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022.
• Scale development involved theoretical review, focus groups, expert panels, and pilot testing.
• Validation included confirmatory factor analysis and correlational analysis with existing scales in 678 Peruvian adults.

Main Results:

• The PR-COVID-19-PE scale demonstrated good construct validity and optimal internal consistency (ώ=0.88).
• The scale showed significant correlations with existing COVID-19 risk perception (r=0.70) and fear scales (r=0.41).
• Metric and scalar invariance were confirmed across sex and educational levels.

Conclusions:

• The PR-COVID-19-PE is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring COVID-19 risk perception in the Peruvian population.
• The scale can be used to understand variations in risk perception.
• Further validation in diverse populations is recommended.