Validity of semi-structured questionnaire for prevalence and risk factors of hepatitis B virus infections among women of reproductive age

Abstract

Introduction: Hepatitis B is a viral disease caused by the hepatitis B virus (HBV). This virus increasingly infects the population each year. The evidence focusing on the validity of a research tool in the South Sudan context is scant. This study examined the validity of the questionnaire for prevalence and risk factors of HBV infection among women of reproductive age in South Sudan. 

Method: The study adapted a quantitative cross-sectional research design. Nine panelists were selected. Twenty-nine items of two key constructs, demographic characteristics and health behaviours, were assessed and analysed using formula 1 (Lawshe’s Content Validity Ratio) and formula 2 (Lawshe’s Content Validity Index) built-in Power Pivot of Microsoft Office 365. 

Results: Twenty-nine questions of the constructs surpassed the content validity ratio threshold value of 0.78. Thus, we maintained these questions in the final semi-structured questionnaire. The demographic characteristic construct’s overall content validity index (CVI) was 0.926, and the health behaviour construct was 0.928.

Conclusion: This study validated the semi-structured questionnaire for assessing the prevalence and risk factors of HBV infection among women of reproductive age in South Sudan. This tool identified the essential items in this health domain. Therefore, it should assist researchers in collecting data related to hepatitis B.