The Blue Survey: Validation of an instrument to measure ocean literacy among adults

Human activities have put the ocean under unprecedented pressure. Still, levels of public understanding about the ocean remain low. Ocean literacy is a global movement that aims to improve the understanding of the ocean and provide an incentive for positive change in people’s behavior. To date, there is no validated scale targeted to adults to measure ocean literacy that includes measuring people’s knowledge about the ocean, as well as surveying their attitudes and willingness to act. The Blue Survey is an online instrument meant to measure ocean literacy in adult populations developed by a multidisciplinary team of experts. Using factor analysis, we explore the validity and internal consistency of the Blue Survey in a purposive online sample of 251 adults. We found ocean literacy to consist of six sub-dimensions captured by 34 survey items, viz. knowledge of ocean-related topics, personal interest in ocean-related aspects, ocean stewardship, ocean as an economic resource, ocean-friendly behavior, and willingness to act responsibly for the ocean. Our analysis resulted in the development of a new validated instrument to measure the various dimensions of ocean literacy. It may help researchers and practitioners to better understand the factors contributing to shaping an ocean-literate person. Further research should assess the validity of the Blue Survey across different populations, including those closely related to the sea, such as maritime professionals.

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Construct and Criterion Validity of the Postmenopause Sexuality Questionnaire – PMSQ

Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia / RBGO Gynecology and Obstetrics ◽

10.1055/s-0040-1701461 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 42 (01) ◽

pp. 026-034

Author(s):

Maria José Ferreira Lima ◽

Marília Duarte Valim ◽

Sebastião Freitas de Medeiros

Keyword(s):

Factor Analysis ◽

Sexual Function ◽

Postmenopausal Women ◽

Strong Correlation ◽

Criterion Validity ◽

Cutoff Point ◽

Questionnaire Validation ◽

Future Studies ◽

Different Populations ◽

Sensitivity Specificity

Abstract Objective To assess the construct and criterion validity of the Postmenopause Sexuality Questionnaire (PMSQ). Methods The present methodological questionnaire validation study included postmenopausal women. The construct validity was tested by factor analysis and the criterion validity was performed using the correlation between the PMSQ and the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). The ROC curve was used to verify sensitivity, specificity and to determine the cutoff point of the PMSQ. Results A total of 181 women with a mean age of 56.4 ± 5.7 years old were evaluated. The exploratory factor analysis showed that the PMSQ presented Kaiser test = 0.88 and χ2 = 3293.7 (p < 0.001), commonalities ≥ 0.5, and extraction of 9 factors with eigenvalue ≥ 1; explaining 66.3% of the total variance. The PMSQ presented factor loadings between 0.4 and 0.8. A strong correlation between the 2 questionnaires (r = 0.79; p = 0.000) was shown. The cutoff point of the PMSQ was ≤ 55.5, assuming 87.9% sensitivity and 78.9% specificity (p < 0.001). Conclusion Since the PMSQ showed a strong correlation with the FSFI questionnaire, it presented good psychometric properties to assess the sexuality in postmenopausal women. Based on these results, the PMSQ could be widely tested as a specific instrument to examine the sexual function in postmenopausal women. Future studies, designed to examine the PMSQ instrument in different populations, are needed.

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The Public Perception of Science and Technology in a Periphery Society: A Critical Analysis from a Quantitative Perspective

Science Technology and Society ◽

10.1177/097172180601200107 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 12 (1) ◽

pp. 141-163 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Leonardo Silvio Vaccarezza

Keyword(s):

Factor Analysis ◽

Everyday Life ◽

Scientific Knowledge ◽

Critical Analysis ◽

Public Perception ◽

Science And Technology ◽

Public Understanding ◽

The Public ◽

Different Dimensions ◽

Level Of Understanding

In this article a series of variables referred to the general public's valuations of science and technology are analysed. These valuations refer to different dimensions of science and technology—as a utility of scientific knowledge, their legitimacy, their bond with the cultural matrix of everyday life. The analysis is based on information from a survey carried out in a great urban conglomerate of a little scientific developing country, Argentina. We see that valuation variables discriminate the public according to their positive or negative responses about science, but that there is no evident association between them. We consider one variable in particular dividing the public into those who are ‘trustful’ and those who are ‘cautious’ regarding the advances of science, and we see how it is related to other significations of valuation. The pre-eminence of positions of ambivalence or contradiction in the population's perception regarding this topic is discussed. A factor analysis is presented that comprises these variables and that presents a set of ‘valuation orientations’ towards science as a result. Finally, it is interesting to see how education and the level of understanding of scientific knowledge affect the public's valuation, which questions the basic supposition of the tradition of public understanding studies.

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Promoting the creation of R&D intentions in primary healthcare measured by a validated instrument

Health Research Policy and Systems ◽

10.1186/s12961-019-0513-3 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Helena Morténius ◽

Amir Baigi

Keyword(s):

Factor Analysis ◽

Primary Healthcare ◽

Positive Attitude ◽

Statistical Tests ◽

Strategic Communication ◽

Healthcare Staff ◽

Cronbach’S Alpha ◽

Cronbach's Alpha ◽

The Creation ◽

Validated Instrument

Abstract Background Primary healthcare has a long and successful patient care history in Sweden. Nevertheless, a research-oriented attitude has been more or less absent in this context. In society today, access to information has significantly influenced the nature of patients’ demand for up-to-date healthcare. A prerequisite for this new demand is health professionals who are interested in novel ways of thinking and view a change of work practices as necessary. One way to achieve this goal is by means of strategic communication, which is a relatively new interdisciplinary field. The aim of this study was to analyse the role of strategic communication in the creation of intentions in Research and Development (R&D) among primary healthcare staff as measured by a validated instrument. Methods An intervention study on staff was performed. A 15-item questionnaire was validated and implemented. All primary healthcare staff from the southwestern Swedish province of Halland were included. In total, 846 employees (70%) agreed to participate in the measurements. After 12 years, 352 individuals who had participated in the intervention and remained in the organisation were identified and followed up. The intervention comprised established communication channels. The measurements were performed after 7 and 12 years. A questionnaire was designed for this purpose. The questions were validated by a factor analysis, and the degree of reliability was measured with Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. χ2 and Fisher’s exact tests were used as statistical tests in comparisons. Results Factor analysis identified five pure factors (most Cronbach’s alpha > 0.70). Strategic communication contributed to a significant improvement in the staff members’ interest in R&D and willingness to change in both the short (P < 0.05) and long (P < 0.05) term. The positive attitude was stable over time. Conclusions Strategic communication seems to be a significant tool for creating a stable positive attitude towards R&D in the primary healthcare context. The creation of a positive attitude towards a scientific approach is a relevant finding that deserves special attention in a context as complex as healthcare. Using a validated instrument seems to contribute to pure results in this case.

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Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) health literacy instrument in general population and highly educated samples of Brazilian adults

Public Health Nutrition ◽

10.1017/s1368980017000787 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 20 (11) ◽

pp. 1907-1913 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Renne Rodrigues ◽

Selma Maffei de Andrade ◽

Alberto Durán González ◽

Marcela Maria Birolim ◽

Arthur Eumann Mesas

Keyword(s):

Factor Analysis ◽

Health Literacy ◽

General Population ◽

Cultural Adaptation ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Cross Cultural Adaptation ◽

Highly Educated ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

Different Populations ◽

Newest Vital Sign

AbstractObjectiveThe present work aimed at cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the health literacy assessment tool Newest Vital Sign (NVS) in general population (GP) and highly educated (HE) samples of Brazilian adults.DesignAn expert committee reviewed the translation and back-translation processes and the cultural adaptation. The construct validity was analysed with confirmatory factor analysis and via associations with features of the study population.SettingThe final validation test was performed in two different populations from Londrina, a large town in southern Brazil.SubjectsBrazilian adults: GP (adult clients of community pharmacies;n189) and HE (public school teachers;n301).ResultsThe tool under validation showed good cross-cultural adaptation and internal consistency, with Cronbach’sαof 0·75 for GP and 0·74 for HE. Confirmatory factor analysis showed acceptable models and identified two independent factors according to the relationship between components and numeracy for both GP and HE data. According to the Brazilian Portuguese version of the NVS instrument (NVS-BR), 48·7 % of GP and 33·5 % of HE presented adequate health literacy; this condition was inversely associated with age for both populations and directly correlated with educational level for GP.ConclusionsThe NVS-BR showed good validity in two different populations of Brazilian adults and can be considered an alternative in screening for inadequate health literacy.

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Motivations of Volunteers in Danish Grazing Organizations

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13158163 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (15) ◽

pp. 8163

Author(s):

Sari F. Madsen ◽

Flemming Ekelund ◽

Niels Strange ◽

Jesper Sølver Schou

Keyword(s):

Factor Analysis ◽

Nature Conservation ◽

Human Activities ◽

Economic Resources ◽

Nature Management ◽

Personal Benefit ◽

Social Nature ◽

The Social ◽

Global Biodiversity ◽

Conservation Projects

Global biodiversity is under pressure from human activities, and the effort for nature conservation and restoration and the allocation of economic resources for biodiversity policies remain insufficient. In such a context, volunteers can play an important role as a resource in nature conservation projects if their recreational activities interact with the objectives of nature management. In recent years, the number of volunteers in conservation work has increased in Denmark, with more people volunteering to contribute to nature conservation projects. Ensuring that volunteers remain motivated and engaged is crucial for the success of such conservation projects. In this study, we evaluated the motivation among members of grazing organizations, an activity that represents the most prominent voluntary nature conservation initiative in Denmark. We applied an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and an ordinal regression to analyze survey data from 25 Danish grazing organizations. We found that five motivational factors determine the engagement of the volunteers, namely social, nature value, instrumental, identification, and personal benefit. Whereas the social, nature value and personal benefit are factors also identified in the existing literature, the instrumental and identification factors add new perspectives to the motivation of environmental volunteers. We found that place attachment is an important driver, and that the chairpersons/coordinators of the grazing organizations especially emphasized the sharing of values and knowledge with their members as a driver. Lastly, volunteers were reluctant to support the idea of forming a more formal setup in terms of a “grazing organization union”.

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A Psychological Reactance Scale: Development, Factor Structure and Reliability

Psychological Reports ◽

10.2466/pr0.1989.64.3c.1323 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 64 (3_suppl) ◽

pp. 1323-1326 ◽

Cited By ~ 116

Author(s):

Sung-Mook Hong ◽

Sandra Page

Keyword(s):

Factor Analysis ◽

Scale Development ◽

Exploratory Factor Analysis ◽

Factor Structure ◽

Psychological Reactance ◽

Varimax Rotation ◽

Development Factor ◽

Psychometric Data ◽

Research Findings ◽

Different Populations

This paper describes the development of Hong's Psychological Reactance Scale. An exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation yielded a clearly defined four-factor structure based on the data from 257 tertiary students. This structure compared favourably with previous research findings. Reliabilities for the scale were satisfactory and its use is recommended for gathering further psychometric data with different populations.

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Grassroots cultural policy for water management in Bangladesh

Water Practice & Technology ◽

10.2166/wpt.2012.023 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Amzad Hossain ◽

Dora Marinova

Keyword(s):

Water Management ◽

Water Conservation ◽

Cultural Policy ◽

Public Understanding ◽

Policy Framework ◽

Economic Resource ◽

Sustainable Water Management ◽

Fundamental Reason ◽

Culture And Development ◽

Water Values

Rural Bangladesh's livelihood depends on water and the existing grassroots policy framework for sustainable water management (conservation and consumption) reflects a cultural unity within a country which is culturally very diverse. Extra-abundance or shortage of water supply is generally viewed as natural; however, prolonged or human caused water deficiency is treated as the retaliation of nature against anthropogenic transgression, which is often attributed to an act of climate change. The mostly uneducated rural people of multi-cultural Bangladesh live a simple lifestyle promoted by the country's inspiring Baul tradition, including water management. The Bauls religiously promote water conservation and are devoted to enhancing public understanding of the role of water. Spirituality can be the basis for sound water management as traditionally prevalent in rural Bangladesh's self-reliant lifestyle. Western culture and development treat water as an economic resource and commodity. Irreverence or ignorance of water related spirituality by modern societies is the fundamental reason for scarcity, pollution, over-extraction, mal-utilisation and aggressive politics of water. Values-driven water management is emphasised as the sustainability breakthrough and an essential requirement for proper development. Based on the Bangladeshi experience, the paper argues for a spirituality oriented educational policy to inform sustainable water management.

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Construction and Validation of a Generational Identity Scale on Bangladeshi Older Adults

Frontiers in Psychology ◽

10.3389/fpsyg.2021.703237 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

Author(s):

Azharul Islam ◽

Shamsul Haque

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Factor Analysis ◽

Convergent Validity ◽

Temporal Stability ◽

Age Groups ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

Transitional Experience ◽

Generational Identity ◽

Psychometric Tool ◽

Different Populations

There is a lack of a psychometric tool for generational identity. We have conducted two studies involving Bangladeshi older adults who have witnessed the Bangladesh liberation war in 1971 to develop a new generational identity scale (GIS). The first study (N = 300) prepared an initial pool of 31 items and got them vetted by expert judges, which retained 21 items to form the provisional GIS (GIS-21). An exploratory factor analysis on GIS-21 excluded eight items and offered a two-factor solution: (i) identification with the generation and (ii) awareness of the generational importance. The second study (N = 176) ran a confirmatory factor analysis on the resulting GIS-13 and dropped another item to achieve a better model fit (SRMR =0.058, GFI = 0.986, AGFI = 0.980, and NFI = 0.980). The remaining 12-item GIS (GIS-12) showed excellent reliability (Mc Donald's omega = 0.898) and satisfactory temporal stability (ICC = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.27–0.77) over a 4-week interval. The scale's moderate correlation with another measure for generational identification demonstrates its convergent validity. Participants' transitional experience caused by the Bangladesh independence war in 1971 was also moderately correlated with the GIS-12 supporting further theoretical convergence of this scale. We recommend that researchers could use this scale on different populations and age groups upon appropriate validation.

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“Residents get no… satisfaction” a problem to face during internal medicine rotations: development and psychometric properties of the IMPRINT-15

Postgraduate Medical Journal ◽

10.1136/postgradmedj-2018-136187 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 95 (1120) ◽

pp. 96-101

Author(s):

Luis Antonio Díaz ◽

Paola Sepúlveda ◽

Eduardo Abbott ◽

Eduardo Fuentes-López ◽

Luz María Letelier ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Internal Medicine ◽

Factor Analysis ◽

Psychometric Properties ◽

Reliability Coefficient ◽

Delphi Panel ◽

Clinical Rotations ◽

Qualitative And Quantitative ◽

Residency Programme ◽

Validated Instrument

Clinical rotations are an essential part of Internal Medicine (IM) residency programmes, where curricular objectives are carried out. To our knowledge, there are no validated instruments to assess IM clinical rotations. Our objective was to develop an instrument for residents to assess the quality of clinical rotations in an IM residency programme, and to test the psychometric properties of the instrument. A mixed methodology was used, including qualitative and quantitative phases. Items were proposed by a group of experts based on previously identified residency needs, followed by a quantitative phase to generate consensus among educators and residents to define which items would be included in the instrument (Delphi panel). After generating the instrument, psychometric tests were performed to assess construct validity (factor analysis) and reliability (Raykov’s reliability coefficient). We obtained a 15-item instrument after two Delphi rounds: Internal Medicine Program Instrument 15-items (IMPRINT-15). Sixty-two residents answered 428 surveys using a Likert scale during 7 months (response rate 98.9%). The median score was 4.3 (IQR 3.9–4.7) (scale from 1 to 5). The factor analysis showed two domains in the clinical rotation assessment: (1) teaching and care activities; (2) evaluation and feedback. The instrument is reliable with Raykov’s reliability coefficient of 0.86. Also, Raykov’s reliability coefficient for the domains were 0.89 and 0.83, respectively. The IMPRINT-15 instrument is a bi-dimensional, valid and reliable questionnaire to evaluate the perceived quality by residents of the IM clinical rotations. Also, it constitutes the first validated instrument in this field worldwide.

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Dimensionality and homogeneity of the Colombian version of the Cocaine Craving Questionnaire (CCQ-N-10)

10.1101/2021.12.07.21267420 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Carlos Arturo Cassiani-Miranda ◽

Orlando Scoppetta ◽

Tito Cesar Quintero-Gómez ◽

Eduard Arraut-Camargo ◽

Guillermo Castaño-Pérez ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Factor Analysis ◽

Psychometric Properties ◽

Small Sample Size ◽

Small Sample ◽

Scale Analysis ◽

Cocaine Use ◽

Confirmatory Factor ◽

Cocaine Craving ◽

Original Scale ◽

Validated Instrument

AbstractBackground and aimIt is essential to have a validated instrument to measure craving for cocaine use. However, in Colombia, there is no instrument to screen cocaine craving. The study aimed to determine the homogeneity and dimensionality of the CCQ-N-10 in patients with cocaine use disorder in Colombia.Materials and methodsAn adaptation and subsequent analysis of the psychometric properties of the CCQ-N-10 scale was carried out with 102 hospitalized or outpatient adults diagnosed with substance use disorders in addiction units in Bucaramanga, Colombia. Internal consistency and construct validity were estimated by confirmatory factor analysis and correlation analysis with scales with similar objectives.ResultsAn omega coefficient of 0.93 was obtained, and adjustment indicators of the confirmatory model were acceptable (RMSEA of 0.08, CFI and TLI of 0.99) when two of the original scale items were removed from the original scale analysis.ConclusionsThis study shows that the craving scale reduced to eight items can be helpful to assess the construct in the Colombian population; However, the small sample size makes it challenging to carry out other analyzes to corroborate its psychometric properties.

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