Development and Psychometric Testing of an Infectious Disease Knowledge Questionnaire in a Convenience Sample

This study aimed to develop the Infectious Diseases Knowledge Questionnaire (IDKQ) and evaluate its psychometric properties for use in community settings.

This methodological study was conducted with 533 adults aged ≥ 18 years. Data were collected using a sociodemographic information form and the IDKQ. Content validity was assessed by expert evaluation. Construct validity was examined using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Reliability was evaluated through item-total correlations, internal consistency (KR-20), test-retest reliability, and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Data analyses were performed using SPSS 25.0 and AMOS 21.0.

Content validity index values ranged from 0.94 to 1.00. EFA revealed a four-factor structure consisting of 17 items, explaining 45.66% of the total variance (KMO = 0.784; Bartlett's test, p < 0.001). CFA demonstrated good model fit (χ²/df = 2.329, RMSEA = 0.074, CFI = 0.946, AGFI = 0.847, GFI = 0.887, SRMR = 0.045). The KR-20 coefficient was 0.735, the test-retest correlation was 0.604, and the ICC was 0.781.

The IDKQ demonstrates acceptable internal consistency and moderate temporal stability, providing preliminary evidence of reliability and construct validity. It may serve as a tool for assessing infectious disease knowledge, although further validation in independent samples is recommended.