Design and Validation of an Instrument to Measure Commitment to Handwashing in Minors

Abstract

Introduction: The benefits of hand washing with soap and water are recognized in public health. It is currently one of the recommended actions to prevent the spread of VOCID-19. However, according to data from the United Nations, worldwide only one in five people do it with adequate frequency and technique. It is evident that knowledge is not the best predictor of behavior, but that greater weight is given to commitment. To date, there is no known instrument to determine this attitude in minors.

Objective: To validate an electronic instrument designed to measure the degree of commitment to handwashing in minors.

Methods: Quantitative validation study in three phases: 1) design of the instrument items; 2) content validation by experts; 3) construct validation, reliability and consistency. It was conducted in Merida, Yucatan, Mexico, between September 2019 and March 2020, with a convenience selection of school-aged children in 25 elementary schools.

Results: In the internal validation, Cronbach's alpha obtained an acceptable value (0.801), and most of the components yielded a reliability above 0.70. The total variance obtained was 69.60 %; in the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test the overall level obtained was 0.712.

Conclusions: An instrument with internal validity, reliability and applicability was designed to measure the degree of commitment to handwashing in minors.