Personal Management of Digital Information in University Students from a Gender Perspective

The purpose of the present study is to delve into the process of personal management of digital information among Spanish university students in their final year and to analyze whether there are similarities or differences regarding students’ gender. A non-experimental methodological design has been implemented of an exploratory type and based on a questionnaire as a single data collection instrument. The instrument was validated by means of experts’ judgement, cognitive interview, and construct validity. A total of 2,054 students’ surveys were collected, sourced from all areas of knowledge, in 75 public and private universities. These surveys made it possible to obtain information about the information search, selection, organization, processing, and creation processes. The results revealed that university students have a positive self-concept about their own competence for personal management of information. However, they fail to take advantage of all the possibilities that the digital world offers them. Women search the Internet for more diverse resources than men. They have better judgment when it comes to selecting and processing the information they need. Male students rely more often than female ones on digital mediums when organizing and creating information and choose to publish the information in less complex and more popular formats than their female counterparts. The conclusions of the present study match those of the majority of reviewed studies, namely regarding the organization of information, contextual and social factors which influence the management of information, such as third-party support, and also in relation to the increasing implementation of digital technologies in information management processes.

Improving abortion underreporting in the United States: a cognitive interview study

Background: Abortion is a difficult-to-measure behavior with extensive survey underreporting, which compromises the ability to study and monitor abortion. The purpose of this study was to improve our understanding of how women interpret and respond to survey items asking if they have ever had an abortion. Methods: We developed multiple new questions hypothesized to improve abortion reporting, using approaches that aim to clarify which experiences to report as an induced abortion; reduce the stigma and sensitivity of induced abortion; reduce the sense of intrusiveness of asking about abortion; and increase the motivation to report. We conducted cognitive interviews with cisgender women aged 18-49 in two US states (N=64) to iteratively assess these new approaches and questions for improving abortion reporting. Results: Our findings suggest that including abortion as part of a list of other sexual and reproductive health services, asking a yes/no question about lifetime experience of abortion instead of asking about number of abortions, and developing an improved introduction to abortion questions may help to elicit more accurate survey reports. Conclusions: Opportunities exist to improve survey measurement of abortion. Reducing underreporting of abortion in surveys has the potential to improve sexual and reproductive health research that relies on pregnancy histories.

Cognitive Interview

Cognitive interviewing helps to bring back the original meaning of pilotage in a case study. Cognitive processes in an interview start with the interpretation of the question and its constituent terms, include the stage of forming an opinion and developing a judgment about it, and ends with editing the answer. The objectives of the cognitive interview are to explore the concepts, words and concepts of everyday language; pull out meanings, associations and emotions associated with the subject of research; detect barriers blocking the respondent's presentation of his position; assess confidence in your opinion, as well as the willingness to correct your point of view; to form their understanding of the "ordinary theory" of the studied phenomenon, etc. For each task, you can build an original strategy for a cognitive interview, but it is important to understand what we are studying, what the result should be and what the research team will do with it.

Translation and validation of Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES)

Introduction: Food insecurity has a complex and multifaceted concept and definition, thus assessing it has been an ongoing challenge for researchers, health practitioners, and policy makers. Previous studies reported inconsistent findings on the prevalence and severity of food insecurity, depending on the measuring tools used. To overcome this limitation, this study aimed to translate and validate the Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) for Malaysians, which has been used as a standard measurement by Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Methods: Two forward and backward translations involving experts in food insecurity studies and experts in language were done, as well as the pre-test and cognitive interview stipulated in World Health Organization (WHO) translation guidelines. Content and face validity were conducted as part of the validation process. Content Validity Index (CVI) was done to analyse content validity. Results: The harmonised Malay version of FIES was produced with 1.0 CVI, which was above the 0.8 criteria. Face validity showed good understandability and clarity of FIES. Conclusion: The translated Malay version of FIES had good acceptability, as well as good face validity when tested among the target audience. Thus, a full validation study of the Malay version FIES should be done before it is widely used to measure food insecurity in the population, specifically the Malaysian population.

Caregiving Intensity and Depressive Symptoms Among Older Adults After Partners’ Onset of Dementia

Caring for a partner with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia (ADRD) can create tremendous care burdens. However, the extent to which onset of ADRD in a partner impacts caregiving intensity and emotional health, the relationship of increased care intensity to emotional health, and whether relationships vary across the older adult population, are less clear. We used 9 waves (years 2000-2016) of the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study dataset to examine the number of weekly caregiving hours provided and depressive symptoms for older (ages ≥51) individuals after partners' ADRD onset (measured with the Telephone Cognitive Interview Survey). We compared changes in outcomes from before to after partners' ADRD onset using zero-inflated negative binomial regression models, overall and among sub-populations with potential vulnerability to excess care burdens – women and racial/ethnic minorities. In our sample of 2,186 older Americans with 10,120 unique observations, we observed a 215% increase (p<0.001) in weekly caregiving hours provided and 21% increase (p<0.001) in depressive symptoms reported by older respondents after partners' ADRD onset. Even larger impacts were observed for women and for non-Hispanic whites. Increased amounts of caregiving were associated with increases in depressive symptoms after a partner's ADRD onset. In all, ADRD has substantial impacts on family. Improved support mechanisms, including enriched community resources, clinician focus on dyadic needs, respite care, and policy efforts such as tax credits for caregivers, will be needed to meet the needs of couples increasingly affected by ADRD.

ICF Linking and Cognitive Interviewing Are Complementary Methods for Optimizing Content Validity of Outcome Measures: An Integrated Methods Review

Content validity is a fundamental requirement of outcome measures. After reviewing operational needs and existing definitions, content validity we as defined as: the extent to which a measure provides a comprehensive and true assessment of the key relevant elements of a specified construct or attribute across a defined range, clearly and equitably for a stated target audience and context. ICF linkage rules from 2002, 2005, and 2019 have provide increasingly clear processes for describing and evaluating content of outcome measures. ICF Core Sets provide international reference standards of the core constructs of importance for different health conditions. Both are important as reference standards during content validation. To summarize their use as reference standards, the following summary indicators were proposed: (1) Measure to ICF linkage, (2) Measure to (Brief or Comprehensive) Core Set Absolute Linkage, (3) Measure to (Brief or Comprehensive) Core Set Unique Linkage, (4) Core Set Representation, and (5) Core Set Unique Disability Representation. Methods to assess how respondents engage with content are needed to complement ICF-linking. Cognitive interviewing is an ideal method since it used to explore how respondents interpret and calibrate response to individual items on an outcome measure. We proposed a framework for classifying these responses: Clarity/Comprehension, Relevance, Inadequate response definition, Reference Point, Perspective modification, and Calibration Across Items. Our analysis of 24 manuscripts that used ICF linking for content validation since updated linking rules were published found that authors typically used linking to validate existing measures, involved multiple raters, used 2005 linking rules, summarized content at a concept level (e.g., impairment, activity, participation) and/or use core sets as a reference standard. Infrequently, ICF linking was used to create item pools/conceptual frameworks for new measures, applied the full scope of the 2019 linking rules, used summary indicators, or integrated ICF-linking with qualitative methods like cognitive interviews. We conclude that ICF linkage is a powerful tool for content validity during development or validation of PROM. Best practices include use of updated ICF linking rules, triangulation of ICF linking with participant assessments of clarity and relevance preferably obtained using cognitive interview methods, and application of defined summary indicators.

Linguistic validation of the Diabetic foot ulcer scale short form (DFS-SF): a methodological approach

Objective: to presenting the linguistic validation of the Diabetic Foot Ulcer Scale Short-Form (DFS-SF) among patients with ulcer diabetic foot (DFU) to Brazilian Portuguese and evaluate its content, practicability and acceptability.Methods and casuistry: a cross-sectional, methodological research, was conducted among 30 outpatients in follow-up for DF, assessed regarding QoL, sociodemographic and clinical data. International recommendations provided bythe Mapi Research Trust on adaptation procedures were followed: the stages of Forward translation, Backward translation and the Cognitive interview were carried out. The Content Validity Index was calculated and a pre-test were gathered to produce a pre-final version. Practicability and acceptability were also assessed. Results: the semantic, idiomatic, cultural and conceptual equivalences between the linguistic validated and the original version were obtained.The DFS-SF was practical, well accepted and easy to understand. Conclusion: the linguistic validation process of the Brazilian version of the DFS-SF has been completed in accordance with internationally recommended standards.The instrument was easy to apply, to understand and presented short time for administration.