Translation, Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of an HIV/AIDS Knowledge and Attitudinal Instrument

• Published in: AIDS education and prevention 2007-06, Vol.19 (3), p.231-244
• Main Authors: Zometa, Carlos S, Dedrick, Robert, Knox, Michael D, Westhoff, Wayne, Siman Siri, Rodrigo, Debaldo, Ann
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS); Adolescent; Adolescents; AIDS; AIDS/HIV; Attitudes; Biological and medical sciences; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S.); Condoms; Construct Validity; Content Validity; Contraception; Cross-Cultural Comparison; Disease Control; Diseases; Drug Use; El Salvador; Factor Analysis; Female; Generalization; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; High School Students; HIV; HIV Infections - prevention & control; HIV Infections - psychology; Human immunodeficiency virus; Human viral diseases; Humans; Immunodeficiencies; Immunodeficiencies. Immunoglobulinopathies; Immunopathology; Infections; Infectious diseases; Information Sources; Knowledge; Knowledge Level; Language Usage; Languages; Latin America; Male; Measures (Individuals); Medical sciences; Medical sociology; Outcomes of Education; Peer Influence; Pilot Projects; Pregnancy; Prevention; Private schools; Psychometrics; Psychometrics - instrumentation; Public health; Reproducibility of Results; Sexual behavior; Sexuality; Sexually Transmitted Diseases; Sound & vibration instruments; Spanish; Spanish Speaking; Speech Communication; Students; Studies; Translation; United States; Validity; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the lymphoid tissue and the blood. Aids
• ISSN: 0899-9546; 1943-2755
• DOI: 10.1521/aeap.2007.19.3.231

An instrument developed in the United States by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assess HIV/AIDS knowledge and four attitudinal dimensions (Peer Pressure, Abstinence, Drug Use, and Threat of HIV Infection) and an instrument developed by Basen-Engquist et al. (1999) to measure abstinence and condom use were translated, cross-culturally adapted, and validated for use with Spanish-speaking high school students in El Salvador. A back-translation of the English version was cross-culturally adapted using two different review panels and pilot-tested with Salvadorian students. An expert panel established content validity, and confirmatory factor analysis provided support for construct validity. Results indicated that the methodology was successful in cross-culturally adapting the instrument developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the instrument developed by Basen-Engquist et al. The psychometric properties of the knowledge section were acceptable and there was partial support for the four-factor attitudinal model underlying the CDC instrument and the two-factor model underlying the Basen-Engquist et al. instrument. Additional studies with Spanish-speaking populations (either in the United States or Latin America) are needed to evaluate the generalizability of the present results.