Validity and Reliability of the Home Management of Diarrhoea Assessment Scale for Mothers in Nigeria: A Rasch Analysis

Abstract

In Nigeria, 151,700 children die every year from diarrhoea disease. The use of a valid and reliable tool for eliciting information
on what mothers do at home to manage diarrhoea is critical for healthcare providers and researchers. The study aimed to develop
and validate the Home Management of Diarrhoea Assessment Scale (HMDAS) using Rasch Analysis among mothers of underfives in Nigeria. The cross-sectional survey design was employed among 376 mothers in one selected local government area in
each of the 6 geopolitical zones of Nigeria recruited using multi-stage sampling technique. Data were collected for 6 months
and were subjected to descriptive statistics and Rasch analysis. The HMDAS was developed after in-depth literature review and
3 rounds of input from 5 expert reviewers. fit analysis revealed that 12 items were misfits and were expunged from the tool. The
HMDAS was found to be unidimensional with Eigen value of less than 1. Item and person separation index of the HMDAS were
11.1917 and 2.0123 respectively. Item and the person reliability index of the HMDAS were 0.9121 and 0.0820. The HMDAS
was concluded to be a reliable and valid tool for data collection. It was recommended that the HMDAS should be utilized in
generating data that can be used for designing interventions aimed at stemming the tide of diarrhoea in Nigeria.