Knowledge, attitudes, and practices survey on adolescent sexual and reproductive health: evidence of internal structure validity

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate evidence of validity based on the internal structure of the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices survey on sexual and reproductive health among adolescents. Methods: A methodological study involving 380 participants that examined evidence of validity based on the internal structure of the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices survey on sexual and reproductive health among adolescents, conducted in public schools in the city of Floriano, Piauí, Brazil. A questionnaire addressing sociodemographic, sexual, reproductive, and lifestyle profiles was administered, along with the survey developed by Barros (2024). Data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (version 20.0) and Factor (version 11.05.01) software. Factor extraction was performed using the Robust Unweighted Least Squares (ULS) method with polychoric correlation. McDonald’s Omega coefficient (ω) was used to verify factor reliability. The research was approved by the Research Ethics Committee (approval number 6,596,376). Results: Two factors representing the items were identified, with their respective explained variances: factor 1 = 38.5%; factor 2 = 25.3%. The model showed good internal consistency (ω = 0.767). The ORION and FDI indices indicated adequate reliability of the survey. Conclusion: The Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices survey on sexual and reproductive health among adolescents, comprising 10 items and two dimensions (Practices; and Knowledge and attitudes), demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties, proving to be a model with sound evidence of validity related to internal structure and reliability.