Measuring Children's Knowledge of Acute Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease: Development and Validation of RHD Knowledge Scale in Nepal
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.A new scale effectively measures children's knowledge of acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD). This validated tool can improve health education and track prevention efforts for ARF and RHD in schools.
Area Of Science
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Health Education
Background
- Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) are critical health issues in low- and middle-income countries like Nepal.
- Assessing children's understanding of ARF and RHD is crucial for effective prevention and education strategies.
Purpose Of The Study
- To develop and validate a reliable tool for assessing knowledge of ARF and RHD among children.
- To establish the psychometric properties of the RHD Knowledge Scale.
Main Methods
- A 14-item multiple-choice questionnaire was developed and translated.
- Content validity was assessed by 10 experts, and a cross-sectional survey was conducted with 207 students (aged 11-16).
- Internal consistency (KR-20) and item difficulty/discrimination were analyzed; known-groups validity was tested.
Main Results
- The RHD Knowledge Scale demonstrated excellent content validity (S-CVI/Ave=0.91) and good internal consistency (KR-20=0.772).
- Item difficulty and discrimination indices were within ideal ranges.
- Higher knowledge scores correlated with older age, higher grade level, and prior RHD screening.
Conclusions
- The RHD Knowledge Scale is a valid and reliable instrument for evaluating children's knowledge of ARF and RHD.
- The tool has potential for broader adaptation and use in school health programs and national prevention monitoring.
- Further validation, including test-retest reliability, is recommended for diverse contexts.
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