Development and Validation of the Self-Care for Aspiration Pneumonia Prevention Scale in the Community Dwelling Elderly with Risk of Dysphasia

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a Korean version of the Self-Care for Aspiration Pneumonia Prevention (SCAPP-K) scale in older adults at risk of dysphasia. The Hertz and Baas model of scale development and validation was used. In the development stage, items were generated via literature review and interviews with medical experts, older adults, and caregivers. Ten experts assessed the items for content validity. Subsequently, 12 older adults participated in a pilot test to determine the comprehensibility and appropriateness of the SCAPP-K scale. The validation stage involved a cross-sectional survey with 203 older adults for exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and 200 older adults for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and to determine convergent and discriminant validity. To test the validity and reliability of the scale, EFA using principal component analysis with varimax rotation and CFA were conducted, and convergent and discriminant validity as well as internal consistency reliability were determined. As a result of EFA, three self-care factors (knowledge, resources, behaviors) with 21 items were validated. The CFA and convergent and discriminant validity indicated the applicability of the three-factor self-care scale. The reliability of the SCAPP-K scale was acceptable, with Cronbach's α=.87~.91. The SCAPP-K scale has acceptable validity and reliability and can contribute to clinical practice, research, and education to improve self-care for the prevention of aspiration pneumonia in older adults at risk of dysphasia.