Lifestyle Profile Scale for Gravida with Urinary Incontinence: scale development and psychometric testing in Chinese...

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Urology
• Health Psychology

Background:

• Urinary incontinence (UI) is common in pregnancy, yet the lifestyle status of affected gravidas remains poorly understood.
• Lifestyle modifications are crucial for UI prevention and management, highlighting the need for targeted assessment tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Lifestyle Profile Scale for Gravida with Urinary Incontinence (LPG-UI).
• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the newly developed LPG-UI scale.

Main Methods:

• An instrument design study involving two stages: item pool generation via literature review and expert consensus (Delphi survey), followed by item analysis and psychometric evaluation.
• Psychometric properties assessed included content validity, internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha), split-half reliability, test-retest reliability, and criterion validity.
• Structural validity was confirmed using factor analysis on data from 447 pregnant women with UI.

Main Results:

• A 24-item, 7-dimension LPG-UI scale was finalized with satisfactory content validity.
• The scale exhibited good reliability (split-half reliability=0.890, Cronbach's alpha=0.819) and criterion validity (0.598).
• Confirmatory factor analysis supported a seven-factor model, explaining 63.667% of the variance and showing a good fit to the data.

Conclusions:

• The LPG-UI is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the lifestyle status of pregnant women experiencing UI.
• This scale can aid healthcare providers in understanding and addressing lifestyle factors contributing to UI in this population.