Reliability of a tool for measuring theory of planned behaviour constructs for use in evaluating research use in policymaking

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Although measures of knowledge translation and exchange (KTE) effectiveness based on the theory of planned behavior (TPB) have been used among patients and providers, no measure has been developed for use among health system policymakers and stakeholders. A tool that measures the intention to use research evidence in policymaking could assist researchers in evaluating the effectiveness of KTE strategies that aim to support evidence-informed health system decision-making. Therefore, we developed a 15-item tool to measure four TPB constructs (intention, attitude, subjective norm and perceived control) and assessed its face validity through key informant interviews.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We carried out a reliability study to assess the tool's internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Our study sample consisted of 62 policymakers and stakeholders that participated in deliberative dialogues. We assessed internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha and generalizability (G) coefficients, and we assessed test-retest reliability by calculating Pearson correlation coefficients (<it>r</it>) and G coefficients for each construct and the tool overall.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The internal consistency of items within each construct was good with alpha ranging from 0.68 to alpha = 0.89. G-coefficients were lower for a single administration (G = 0.34 to G = 0.73) than for the average of two administrations (G = 0.79 to G = 0.89). Test-retest reliability coefficients for the constructs ranged from <it>r </it>= 0.26 to <it>r </it>= 0.77 and from G = 0.31 to G = 0.62 for a single administration, and from G = 0.47 to G = 0.86 for the average of two administrations. Test-retest reliability of the tool using G theory was moderate (G = 0.5) when we generalized across a single observation, but became strong (G = 0.9) when we averaged across both administrations.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study provides preliminary evidence for the reliability of a tool that can be used to measure TPB constructs in relation to research use in policymaking. Our findings suggest that the tool should be administered on more than one occasion when the intervention promotes an initial 'spike' in enthusiasm for using research evidence (as it seemed to do in this case with deliberative dialogues). The findings from this study will be used to modify the tool and inform further psychometric testing following different KTE interventions.</p

Absence of domestic triatomine colonies in an area of the coastal region of Ecuador where Chagas disease is endemic

Rhodnius ecuadoriensis is considered the second most important vector of Chagas disease in Ecuador. It is distributed across six of the 24 provinces and occupies intradomiciliary, peridomiciliary and sylvatic habitats. This study was conducted in six communities within the coastal province of Guayas. Triatomine searches were conducted in domestic and peridomestic habitats and bird nests using manual searches, live-bait traps and sensor boxes. Synantrhopic mammals were captured in the domestic and peridomestic habitats. Household searches (n = 429) and randomly placed sensor boxes (n = 360) produced no live triatomine adults or nymphs. In contrast, eight nymphs were found in two out of six searched Campylorhynchus fasciatus (Troglodytidae) nests. Finally, Trypanosoma cruzi DNA was amplified from the blood of 10% of the 115 examined mammals. Environmental changes in land use (intensive rice farming), mosquito control interventions and lack of intradomestic adaptation are suggested among the possible reasons for the lack of domestic triatomine colonies

Measuring oral health behaviour in Flemish health care workers : An application of the theory of planned behaviour

p. 107-114Objective This study describes the development and validation of a questionnaire to measure the determinants of oral health related behaviour in health care workers, based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB). Research design A preliminary questionnaire was drafted containing 78 self report items measuring three behaviours related to oral health (i.e. dietary habits, oral hygiene habits and dental attendance), as well as the attitudes, perceived social norms and self-efficacy for each behaviour. The questionnaire was completed by 201 health care workers for the initial validation and 966 other health care workers for a replication. Outcomes A principal component analysis with Procrustes rotation toward an a priori three component structure on the original sample yielded high congruence measures for reported dental attendance, but not for dietary habits and oral hygiene habits. Subsequent exploratory Varimax rotations and discarding of redundant items resulted in three component solutions explaining 43% of the variance in dietary habits, 57% in oral hygiene habits and 66% in dental attendance, respectively. For all three behaviours, these components corresponded to the dimensions of the TPB. Internal consistency of the scales was satisfactory, with Chronbach's alpha's ranging from 0.51 to 0.87. Scale scores accounted for a significant proportion of the variance in the intention to avoid sweet snacks, to brush teeth, and to attend dental check-ups, and of the frequency of consumption of sweet drinks and frequency of brushing. A confirmatory factor analysis on the larger sample of 966 health care workers provided excellent goodness of fit indices, confirming the construct validity of the scales

Measuring oral health behaviour in Flemish health care workers : an application of the theory of planned behaviour.

This study describes the development and validation of a questionnaire to measure the determinants of oral health related behaviour in health care workers, based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB)

Citrulline Evaluation in Bowel Transplantation

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation of plasma citrulline and rejection episodes in intestinal transplantation. From January 2007 until present, we performed citrulline assays on our small bowel patients. We investigated the correlation of these assays with the rejection status of the patients. The rejection status of the graft was defined based on graft biopsies. Of 5195 citrulline samples, average serum citrulline levels decreased significantly when the patients presented a rejection episode. We found the following: no rejection, 17.38 μm/L; mild rejection, 13.05 μm/L; moderate rejection, 7.98 μm/L; and severe rejection, 6.05 μm/L. Our current emphasis is to determine the predictive power of citrulline with other biomarkers versus as a separate and isolated measurement. In our study, citrulline levels correlated significantly with the rejection status of the graft. Serial follow-up of the patients using this assay may alert us to the possibility of increased alloreactivity and rejection episodes