Development of the Adolescent Health Concerns Inventory

Abstract

Health concerns of adolescents are important factors to consider when developing and implementing school health education programs. In addition, an understanding of adolescent concerns compared to their teachers' and parents' beliefs about adolescents' concerns may enhance communication between adolescents and adults. Despite the need to identify the health concerns of adolescents and beliefs about them among parents and teachers, few instruments exist. The inventory described in this article is one approach to assessing adolescent health concerns. Three forms of the Adolescent Health Concerns Inventory (AHCI) were developed to assess: (1) the health concerns of adolescents, (2) teachers' beliefs about adolescent health concerns, and (3) parents' beliefs about adolescent health concerns. The final version of the instrument contained 150 health-related items grouped into 12 topical subscales. Reliability estimates for the 12 subscales as measured by Cronbach's alpha ranged from .76 to .92. A panel of experts was used to assess content validity. Construct validity was assessed using principal components factor analysis. All items were positively loaded on factor 1. Readability was estimated at the eighth grade as measured by the SMOG readability formula. Psychometric characteristics of the instrument and recommendations for the use of the AHCI are presented.