A psychometric analysis of a Ghanaian tool (PCaKAB-Gh) for studying prostate cancer knowledge, attitudes and beliefs amongst women

Abstract

Several Ghanaian studies have examined prostate cancer knowledge, attitudes and beliefs. However, none of these studies was conducted in women except our previous study which served as the third stage in the development of a local robust tool, PCaKAB-Gh, to assess women's knowledge about prostate cancer. Although the subject had previously been studied in Ghana, none of the studies utilized a psychometrically valid tool and focused on involving women in the early detection of prostate cancer. For this purpose, we performed a psychometric study on a 41-item tool to improve robustness. The study which was the final stage of the tool development process employed a cross-sectional approach and conveniently recruited 500 participants. Statistical analysis to assess the reliability and construct validity of the tool was performed. The factors of the tool had Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega coefficients of 0.53 – 0.78 and reflected favourable internal consistency. The Exploratory Factor Analysis, using the Principal Component Analysis with Varimax with Kaiser Normalization, generated 5 factors with itemized factor loadings of 0.44 – 0.80, Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin Measure of Sampling Adequacy of 0.857, and a significant Bartlett's Test of Sphericity (2293.448, p-value < 0.001). A variance of 55.3% was explained. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis had a Root Mean Square Error of Approximation and a Standardized Root Mean Square Residual below 0.050, and a Comparative Fit Index and a Tucker-Lewis Index above 0.900 which indicated satisfactory fit indices (p-value < 0.001). The study successfully developed a 24-item psychometrically valid tool, with 5 factors, to be used to study the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about prostate cancer among Ghanaian women. The availability of the PCaKAB-Gh tool, the first of its kind, would permit the active involvement of women in improving the early detection of prostate cancer to reduce the cost of therapy and improve management outcomes.