A Preliminary Study for The Development and Psychometric Properties of Secondhand Smoke Exposure Assessment Tools

Abstract

Background The exposure of non-smokers to tobacco smoke is known as secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure, which can significantly affect their health. Due to the unavailability of a standardized questionnaire to assess SHS exposure, this study aimed to design Psychometric Properties of SHS Exposure Assessment Tools. Methods The present study was an assessment tool study conducted on 160 adults with SHS exposure who were citizens of Zanjan, Iran, in 2020. In the first step, we carried out a literature review for creating tool items to assess SHS exposure. The psychometric properties steps include face validity, content validity, construct validity and reliability. Exploratory Factor Analysis with the Principal component factor analysis method was used to test the construct validity of the scale. The reliability of the tools was tested using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Results The KMO index of adequacy was measured to be 0.822 that more than 0.7, indicating the adequacy of cases for factor analysis. The questionnaire was approved with four factors and 26 items which explained a cumulative variance of 0.57%. The face validity of the questionnaire was evaluated; all items had an impact score above 1.5. Also, the content validity ratio and the content validity index were both adequate. Finally, the reliability of the questionnaire was approved based on Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.88. Conclusion In the primary assessment validity and reliability of tools were adequate for the assessment of SHS exposure in adults. Further studies are suggested to assess the specificity and sensitivity of this tool.