Creation and validation of a questionnaire to assess pre-conceptional health needs of women in Italy

Abstract

Background Pre-conceptional health refers to women's conditions before pregnancy. Women's knowledge, behavior and lifestyle in this period greatly influence the health of the future mother and child. This study aimed at creating and validating a questionnaire to describe the knowledge, behaviors, health status and access to healthcare services of young women of childbearing age in Italy. Methods A systematic literature review on Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science was conducted to collect the relevant information for the questionnaire's construction. Based on the review's results, a first draft of the questionnaire was developed and, then, submitted to a panel of experts for validation through the Delphi Procedure. Twenty-one multidisciplinary experts reviewed the items for content, applicability, and rated each item in terms of validity and relevance by indicating a value from 1 to 5 on a Likert scale. Cronbach's Alpha and Internal Validity Index were calculated to verify the internal reliability and validity of content. Results After the screening process, thirty-one articles were included in the systematic review. The main results concerned knowledge on pre-conceptional health, physical, mental and social health, nutritional status, lifestyle and access to healthcare services. The first draft of the questionnaire, submitted to the experts' panel for consensus, consisted of 89 items and 13 sections. Consensus was reached after two rounds of Delphi Procedure. The final version of the questionnaire consisted of 88 items and 10 sections, reporting a Cronbach's Alpha of 0.99 and an Internal Validity Index of 0.93. Conclusions The questionnaire developed in this study is a valid tool to identify the pre-conceptional health needs of young women. The results may be used by policy makers and various guidelines concerning pre-conceptional health and for the implementation of personalized interventions, aimed to improve the health of this population. Key messages Women’s knowledge, behaviours and lifestyle in the pre-conceptional period greatly influence the health of the future mother and child. This study reports the process of creation of a questionnaire which is proved to be a valid tool to identify the pre-conceptional health needs of young women of childbearing age in Italy.