Measuring Dementia Knowledge in German: Validation and Comparison of the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale, the Knowledge in Dementia Scale, and the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Tool 2

Abstract

Background: Assessing dementia knowledge is critical for developing and improving effective interventions. There are many different tools to assess dementia knowledge, but only one has been validated in German so far. Objective: To validate two tools for assessing dementia knowledge—the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale (DKAS-D) and the Knowledge in Dementia Scale (KIDE-D) for the German general population—and compare their psychometric properties with the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Tool 2 (DKAT2-D). Methods: A convenience sample of 272 participants completed online surveys. Analyses included internal consistency, structural validity, construct validity through the known-groups method, retest-reliability with a subgroup of n = 88, and floor and ceiling effects. This study used the STROBE checklist. Results: Internal consistency was acceptable for DKAT2-D (α= 0.780), very good for DKAS-D (α= 0.873), and poor for KIDE-D (α= 0.506). Construct validity was confirmed for all questionnaires. Retest-reliability was good for DKAT2-D (0.886; 0.825–0.926) and KIDE-D (0.813; 0.714–0.878), while it was great for DKAS-D (0.928; 0.891–0.953). Trends toward ceiling effects were observed for DKAT2-D and KIDE-D, but not for DKAS-D. The principal component analysis did not reveal a coherent structure for DKAT2-D or KIDE-D, while the confirmatory factor analysis proposed the removal of 5 items for DKAS-D resulting in the shortened DKAS20-D, which had nearly identical properties. Conclusion: Both DKAS-D and its shortened version, DKAS20-D, are reliable instruments for evaluating programs intended for the general population, as they were found to be convincing in all aspects.

The Dementia Knowledge Assessment Scale, the Knowledge in Dementia Scale, and the Dementia Knowledge Assessment Tool 2: Which Is the Best Tool to Measure Dementia Knowledge in Greece?

“…According to the original study [ 29 ] as well as the study of Melchior and Teichmann (2023) [ 36 ], no coherent structure was revealed for KIDE. Therefore, the structural validity of KIDE-G was not conducted.…”

“…The KIDE was translated into Greek by Gkioka (unpublished data, 2020) (KIDE-G), but since the alpha Cronbach was < 0.60, their data were not published. To date, the KIDE has been validated in the German population, showing poor reliability and a tendency to ceiling effect [ 36 ]. To our knowledge, it has not been validated in other languages.…”

Dementia Knowledge, Attitude toward Dementia, and Confidence in Dementia Care: Impact of a Dementia Training on German Nursing Students

“…The results showed acceptable internal consistencies at baseline for all three scales. However, the German validation study in the general population showed good internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha 0.83 –0.85 for the DAS-D [ 22 ], good internal consistency with Cronbach’s alpha of 0.87 for the DKAS-20-D [ 20 ], and excellent internal consistency with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.91 for the CODE-D [ 22 ]. These differences between the original validation study and the present study may be due, among other things, to the fact that the scales in German were originally validated on the general population, whereas in the current study, they were transferred to the targeted group.…”

“…The results of this study review also demonstrated that the majority of studies with attitudinal outcomes reported positive improvements in attitudes after dementia training, with 27% of included studies showing no significant changes [ 40 ]. This can be explained, among other variables, by using inadequate scales, such as the KIDE scale in the German population, which failed to detect any improvements in knowledge about dementia after a dementia training [ 41 ] and failed to do so when comparing pre- and post-tests [ 20 ].…”

“…Items 1 to 4, 6, 7, 8, 11, 12, 17, and 19 are incorrect statements. The 20-item version (DKAS-20-D) is the shorter version validated in German, ranging from 0 to 40 points, which demonstrates a very good internal consistency with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.87 [ 20 ].…”