Testing Psychometrics of Healthcare Empowerment Questionnaires (HCEQ) among Iranian Reproductive Age Women: Persian Version

BACKGROUND: Producing high quality data needs an accurate measurement in any fields of study. This study aimed to test psychometrics of the Persian version Healthcare Empowerment Questionnaire (HCEQ) in relation to personal care among Iranian reproductive age women and to validate the instrument for future use. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 549 reproductive age women in a health centers affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences producing a response rate of 100%. Content validity was established using translation and backtranslation procedures, pilot testing, and getting views of expert panel. Construct validity was measured using explanatory factor analysis. Cronbach's alpha was used to measure internal consistency, and intra-class correlation coefficients were used to confirm stability. RESULTS: The results indicated that explanatory factor analysis of 10 items in three dimensions explained 63.2% of the total variance. Validity and reliability of the 10-items of HCEQ with two response scales (perception of control and motivation of being empowered) assessed for internal quality showed the reliability of internal consistency (α=0.70; range=0.62–0.76). The correlation between convert (10 items) and apparent (3 factors) variables was 0.5 times higher than the revealed convergent validity. CONCLUSION: The findings of this study supported the reliability and validity of the Persian version of HCEQ to assess the degree of individual empowerment in relation to personal healthcare and services among reproductive age women. Therefore, the HCEQ-Persian version could be a useful, comprehensive, and culturally sensitive scale for assessing healthcare empowerment among reproductive age women.