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Development and Exploratory Validation of the Assisting Mealtime Scale for Dementia Care: Nursing Staff Perspectives
Hansen Tang1, WenPeng You1,2,3, Kazem Razaghi1
1School of Nursing and Midwifery, Parramatta South Campus, Western Sydney University, Sydney, Australia.
Abstract:
Mealtime assistance for people living with dementia presents care-related challenges, yet few validated instruments assess nursing staff perspectives. This study developed and conducted an exploratory validation of the Assisting Mealtime Scale. A multi-phase instrument development process included literature review, expert consultation, content validation, pilot testing, and forward-backward translation. The 19-item scale was administered to nursing staff in aged care settings in Australia and China (N = 240). Exploratory factor analysis using principal axis factoring with Promax rotation examined factor structure. Sampling adequacy was assessed using the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test and Bartlett's test of sphericity. Internal consistency was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha. Sampling adequacy was excellent (KMO = 0.891). A three-factor solution explained 55.25% of total variance. Factors represented Perceived Knowledge and Skill Gaps, Time and Task Pressure, and Attitudes Toward mealtime assistance and Autonomy. The overall scale demonstrated good reliability (α = 0.890). The scale demonstrates preliminary construct validity and reliability. Further confirmatory and cross-cultural validation is required.
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