Development, Validation, and Cross Cultural Adoption of Persian Version of Behavioral Risk Factor Tool

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Health Surveillance

Background:

• Population health enhancement is a key policy objective.
• Health surveillance systems, like the US Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), are vital for monitoring health behaviors.
• Cultural context influences health behavior assessment, necessitating culturally adapted tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a Persian version of the Behavioral Risk Factor Questionnaire (BRFSSQ).
• To perform cross-cultural adaptation of the BRFSSQ for the Iranian population.
• To assess the validity and reliability of the Persian version (PBRFSSQ).

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 250 participants was conducted from August 2022 to April 2023.
• The study employed a six-step translation and testing methodology.
• Content validity, face validity, Cronbach's alpha, and test-retest reliability were assessed.

Main Results:

• The Scale Content Validity Index was 0.95.
• Intra-class Correlation Coefficients (ICC) for reliability were 0.86 (core), 0.88 (optional), and 0.87 (total).
• An overall Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.85 indicated good internal consistency.

Conclusions:

• The Persian version of the BRFSSQ is a valid and reliable instrument.
• The PBRFSSQ is suitable for assessing risky health behaviors in the Iranian general population.
• This validated tool supports public health surveillance in Iran.