Development, Validation, and Implementation of a Short Breast Health Questionnaire

Abstract Background Health status and perception can be assessed by general or disease-specific questionnaires, the latter are more sensitive. Considering the importance of breast health in women’s lives and the lack of any pertinent questionnaire, we performed this study to develop a valid and reliable short BH questionnaire (BHQ); and then use it for the assessment of participants. Methods We first designed and developed the instrument, followed by measurement of inter-rater agreement IRA, content validity including content validity index (I-CVI) and scale content validity index (S-CVI), and reliability (through internal consistency and test-retest). We then included eligible women with normal breasts and benign breast disorders who attended our breast clinic. Results The IRA index (78.6%) showed optimal relevance and clarity of the questionnaire. The content validity was acceptable; with an S-CVI of 87.35 and 84.42 for clarity and relevance, respectively. One question was eliminated (I-CVI < 70%). The internal reliability was high (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.93). For external consistency, three questions were eliminated (intraclass correlation coefficient < 0.7), the rest of the questions showed good and excellent reliability. In the next step, BH in the 350 eligible participants showed an overall score of 55.86 ± 11.57. Among different variables, age was the only one that showed a significant direct relationship with BH. A history of breast surgery for benign lesions and a family history of breast cancer did not affect BH. Conclusion This study introduces a valid reliable 11-item BHQ. We propose its use in various conditions throughout breast cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment; and in the assessment of BH in various physiologic and reproductive situations.