COVID-19 Awareness Scale (CAS)Turkish form: A validity and reliability study

Abstract

Objective: In this study, we aimed to develop a valid and reliable scale to measure the level of awareness of people about COVID-19. Methods: A total of 244 people participated in the research. The item pool was created in line with the literature and expert opinions. The prepared items were examined by four experts in terms of content validity, language, and expression, and a 28-item scale form was created. Following these stages, the first form consisting of 28 items was applied to 29 people as a pilot study. Explanatory and confirmatory factor analyses were employed to test the construct validity. Results: As a result of the explanatory factor analysis, it was determined that the scale consisted of 15 items and 3 sub-dimensions. These sub-dimensions were respectively named “Protection”, “Knowledge of COVID”, and “Effort to Obtain Information”. When the fit indices obtained from the confirmatory factor analysis results were examined, we saw that the three-factor scale construct had a high fit at an acceptable level. Conclusions: Based on the data obtained from this study, we concluded that the COVID-19 awareness scale was valid and reliable to evaluate the awareness level of people. Keywords Awareness; COVID-19; Validity; Reliability; Scale