Developing the Type 5 Diabetes Knowledge Scale for Assessing Community Knowledge in Rural Settings.

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Public Health
• Health Measurement

Background:

• Type 5 diabetes, a malnutrition-related form, requires validated assessment tools for public knowledge, especially in underserved rural areas.
• The International Diabetes Federation's 2025 recognition underscores the need for such instruments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Type 5 Diabetes Knowledge Scale (T5DKS).
• To create a contextually appropriate instrument for measuring type 5 diabetes awareness among rural adults.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional instrument development design adhering to COSMIN standards.
• Item generation via literature review and expert input, followed by content validity assessment and piloting.
• Validation involved 312 rural adults, utilizing exploratory factor analysis and psychometric evaluation (Cronbach's α = 0.84).
• Linguistic validation in English and Bahasa Indonesia was performed.

Main Results:

• A 10-item T5DKS with a three-factor structure (clinical understanding, risk factors, prevention/management) was finalized.
• The scale demonstrated strong internal consistency and acceptable item-total correlations.
• Item performance indicated generally adequate knowledge but revealed specific misconceptions about type 5 diabetes.

Conclusions:

• The T5DKS is a brief, culturally adapted, and psychometrically sound tool for assessing type 5 diabetes knowledge in low-resource settings.
• The scale can identify knowledge gaps, inform educational strategies, and support community health initiatives.
• Further research is recommended to assess test-retest reliability, responsiveness, and broader cross-cultural applicability.