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The period of a child's growth and development that is most notable is from 0 to 8 years old. These are the years when all that is learned is laid down. Putting strong foundations in place today will yield big dividends later. Greater learning in the classroom and better educational results have a positive social and economic impact on society. Children who get early childhood education (ECE) have a strong foundation, which increases the effectiveness and productivity of every subsequent educational stage. The goal of the current study was to determine the pre-primary teachers' level of awareness regarding early childhood education, given their critical position in the field. To determine the level of knowledge of early childhood education (ECE) among teachers employed in pre-primary institutions in Bengaluru city, the study used a survey approach and a custom application. A sample of 106 teachers were drawn through cluster sampling. The study found out that the demographic variables like locality, marital status and teaching experience have no influence on the awareness of ECE among pre-primary teachers. The study found that 10% of teachers have average awareness, 31% have good awareness, 37% have very good awareness and 22% have excellent awareness of ECE. Thus, close to 90% of them are found to have better awareness of ECE. This means that preprimary teachers are well aware of the nature, learning needs etc. of children and also methodology of teaching and evaluation. In spite of better awareness of ECE found in teachers, the study comes out with few of educational implications in order to regulate and sustain the awareness of ECE among them and also in proper handling of children.

Alienation is a psychological state in which a teacher feels and develops relatively loss of relationship with others. First and foremost, in the present study, it was found that the standardized Alienation Scale by Hardeo Ojha constructed in the year 2010 was appropriate in measuring alienation in general social context for adults above twenty one years of age and it required a few modifications to cater specifically in terms of secondary school teachers context which led to further developing and validating alienation scale on secondary school teachers. The psychometric properties of alienation of secondary school teachers were explored. The study assessed the level of alienation dimension-wise of two hundred secondary school teachers teaching in Punjab (India). The scale was made reliable and valid using Content validity, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Cronbach's alpha, Average Variance Extracted, Composite Reliability. The reliability statistics using Cronbach's alpha is greater than 0.80 of overall alienation scale ([alpha]=.878), social isolation ([alpha]=0.892), work alienation ([alpha]=0.869) and cultural estrangement ([alpha]=0.875) with average variance extracted greater than 0.40 and composite reliability greater than 0.70 for all the factors. Therefore, validity and reliability analysis showed that the scale possesses adequate homogeneity and internal consistency. Thus, the alienation scale can be considered appropriate to measure level of alienation of secondary school teachers. Secondly, for field testing the applicability of the developed and validated scale of alienation, it was administered on 500 secondary school teachers. The objective was to conduct comparative analysis of alienation and its dimensions with respect to gender. The findings revealed no significant difference with respect to gender in alienation, social isolation and cultural estrangement. Significant differences were found in case of work alienation wherein the female secondary school teachers were on the higher end in comparison to the male secondary school teachers.

The elicited imitation task (EIT), in which language learners listen to a series of spoken sentences and repeat each one verbatim, is a commonly used measure of language proficiency in second language acquisition research. The "TOEFL® Essentials"™ test includes an EIT as a holistic measure of speaking proficiency, referred to as the "Listen and Repeat" task type. In this report, we describe the design considerations that informed the development of the EIT for TOEFL Essentials. We also report the results of a series of investigations conducted during the prototyping and pilot phases of test development, which were undertaken with the goal of confirming task design specifications, evaluating scoring performance, and obtaining initial validity evidence to support score interpretation and use of the EIT in the TOEFL Essentials test. We found that task design variables generally performed as expected. The length of input sentence was strongly associated with performance (Pearson r = 0.88), consistent with the construct measured by the EIT, while other task variables not directly related to the EIT construct did not impact performance (e.g., graphics, speaker accent, and response time). Scorers drawn from TOEFL iBT test raters were able to score responses consistently with over 98% exact or adjacent interrater agreement on a 6-point scale, and scores on the pilot version of the EIT were highly reliable (Cronbach's [alpha] = 0.93 on the 15-item pilot version). Correlations between EIT scores and other measures were generally as expected: Correlations with other speaking tasks were high (0.78-0.84) and slightly to somewhat lower for other language measures (0.73 for writing, 0.68 for listening, and 0.57 for reading). Correlation with an independent measure of holistic language proficiency (C-test) was moderately high (0.69), as expected. We discuss the study findings in terms of the TOEFL Essentials test validity argument and point out limitations to the current results along with future research needs. Overall, we believe that the findings provide initial support to warrant the use of the EIT as operationalized in the TOEFL Essentials test.

This study examined the factor structure of an instrument used to measure first generation Bangladeshi, Indian, and Pakistani (FGBIP) parental involvement behaviors in their children's academic achievement in Southwest Florida. A survey was designed for FGBIP parents/guardians of K-12 children studying in public schools based on commonly used indicator variables of parental involvement in the literature. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was utilized to test the initial instrument by determining whether the survey items loaded onto the unique factors as well as the number of items to improve the reliability and validity of the instrument. The EFA produced 25 items under five factors: "parental involvement behavioral trends in school-based activities, parental involvement behavioral trends in home-based activities, parents' personal behaviors, parents' involvement in beyond home/school activities, and children's personal behaviors." The researchers described the design process and a useful tool for understanding relationships between parental involvement and students' academic achievement.

Self-handicapping is a commonly utilized strategy to manage the menace to self-esteem, which gets evoked by failing fear in academic achievement. The main aim of current study was to develop and validate academic self-handicapping scale. This scale was developed for measuring self-handicapping among secondary school students. The study sample comprised three hundred thirty secondary school students. Sample was chosen via using random sampling technique. Opinions of expert were collected to check the scale content and face validity. Factor analysis was done on responses of the sample. The findings concluded that academic self-handicapping can be disintegrated into two factors i.e. behavioural self-handicapping and claimed self-handicapping. Cronbach's alpha of academic self-handicapping ([alpha]= 0.917), the internal consistency indices represented good internal reliability. The results unveiled the existence of significant psychometric features of constructed questionnaire

Self-efficacy is a potential measure to develop the capacities of higher secondary school students for producing desired results. Hence, the study of self-efficacy at this level is of utmost importance. In this present study, an attempt is made to culturally adapt the standardized self-efficacy scale of Sherer and Maddux (1982) for the higher secondary school students of Odisha. For this purpose, a sample of 135 higher secondary school students was taken randomly, and ten teachers were taken purposively. Both preliminary and final pilot study was conducted by collecting primary data. Both forward and backward translation was done in consultation with experts. The testing for 'comparability of language,' the 'similarity of interpretation,' and the 'degree of understanding' of the translated scale were measured and found higher scores in all these domains. The psychometric properties of the scale were estimated, i.e., Cronbach alpha reliability of the whole scale 0.85 and split-half reliability of 0.79, which revealed high internal consistency of the scale. The factor analysis was made by following principal component analysis of varimax rotation and Kiser normalization, which extracted four principal components, and the implications of the study were discussed.

The concept of social networking has received much attention from academia over the last decade in India. Widespread research has conceptualized the term social networking with almost all of the studies either conceptual or based on case studies. This paper is an attempt to clarify the construct of social networking by developing a reliable and valid questionnaire measuring social networking usage. 420 university students from 6 universities in Jammu and Kashmir were surveyed via a random sampling technique and factor analysis carried out on their responses. The findings revealed that social networking usage can be decomposed into four factors: academic; socialization; entertainment and informativeness. The internal consistency indices, Cronbach's alpha of social networking usage (a= 0.830) indicates good internal reliability. The findings revealed that the newly developed questionnaire has significant psychometric features.

The aim of this study was to develop and standardize a mental health battery for students with visual impairment (MHB-VI) in India. The research was carried out on sample of 126 children with visual impairment of the age group 10-25 years from Haryana state. The battery contained 61 items and these items were categorized into six sub-scales namely emotional stability, over-all adjustment, autonomy, security-insecurity, self-concept and emotional intelligence. Items showing behavioural characteristics related with six mental health sub-scales were framed on the five points Likert Scale. Item analysis was performed by calculating t and r-value and 12 items were deleted and final 61 items were retained. The value of Cronbach's alpha and split half correlation came out to be 0.89 and 0.80 respectively. This battery may act as a valuable tool in accessing mental health of students with visually impairment in India as the findings demonstrated that its scores were valid and reliable. This tool is specifically useful for practitioners, special teachers, social workers, psychologists and stakeholders. They can use this tool in assessing the mental health of students with visual impairment; as a result, effective planning and strategies can be established.

Medical education has gone online because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Formative assessment is essential to facilitate the learning process in medical education. However, various challenges arise during online assessment, which include reliability, when done without monitoring and practical concerns like Internet connectivity issues. This study was done to assess the medical students' perceptions of the reliability, usefulness, and practical challenges of online tests. One hundred first-year undergraduate medical students taking up online classes and tests in the subject of physiology were enrolled in this study. A questionnaire with items regarding practical challenges, reliability, and usefulness of the online tests, in general, and about different types of online assessment methods, in particular, were sent to the students online. Each item was rated on a five-point Likert scale, and the responses were analyzed anonymously. A large percentage of students used mobile phones (81.4%) to undertake online tests. Although most students (73.2%; P < 0.001) felt that online tests helped them substantially in learning the subject, network connectivity issues were considered to be a matter of serious concern (85.5%, P < 0.001). Among the assessment methods used, viva voce by video conferencing was thought to be most reliable (83%, P < 0.001). Multiple-choice question-based assessment when done online was felt to be more practically feasible with faster feedback than classroom assessment. The results of the study suggest that medical students find online formative assessments helpful for their learning, despite their concerns about reliability and practical challenges.

It is important to identify suitable parameters to measure and assess the quality of physical education. This paper aims to understand such measuring tool by focusing on professional perceptions and areas of concern of quality physical education (QPE). The research survey includes data gathered from 799 professionals in 11 cities in Asia. These professionals had experience working at primary schools (n = 155), secondary schools (n = 249), and universities (n = 395). To examine professional perceptions of quality physical education, at the preliminary stage of this study, 65 potential items were identified; of these, 48 items on 8 dimensions were retained, following an exploratory factor analysis. The 8 dimensions covered "skill development and bodily awareness" ([alpha] =0.935), "facilities and norms in PE" ([alpha] =0.932), "quality teaching of PE" ([alpha] =0.923), "plans for feasibility and accessibility of PE" ([alpha] =0.824), "social norms and cultural practice" ([alpha] =0.825), "governmental input for PE" ([alpha] =0.859), "cognitive skills development" ([alpha] =0.920), and "habituated behaviour in physical activities" ([alpha] =0.933). These factors indicated excellent internal consistency and model fit, enabling the construction of highly relevant statements to measure professional perceptions of QPE.

This study validates an instrument used to measure technostress creators, technostress support mechanisms, and their negative impact on students' satisfaction and performance. A research model is developed based on the stimulus, organism, and response model to analyse the mediating effect of technostress creators and understand how technostress inhibitors influence students' satisfaction and their performance. A group of 206 students from India pursuing higher education were selected as a sample to validate this model. Technostress creators act as a mediator between technostress inhibitors and students' satisfaction and their performance, while technostress inhibitors positively influence student satisfaction and performance indirectly. Insights from this study will enable higher education institutions to identify the students who are finding technology-based education problematic and help preserve their wellbeing by following supportive strategies to reduce stress and enhance the students' active participation in technology-based education.

We elaborate on a new approach of assessing content-based epistemic clarity of college physics students in terms of their ability to discriminate between different epistemic warrants for propositions in a chained argument in physics. A threefold classification (nominal, physical, and mathematical) of warrants is used, with each class split into a number of distinct epistemic categories. The assessment tool consists of a questionnaire, illustrated here for a standard undergraduate physics derivation, in which the student chooses the appropriate epistemic category (from an appended list) for each proposition in the given derivation. The tool includes a brief supplementary orientation note for clarifying the meaning of different categories. It is tested for reliability and internal consistency. Correlation of content knowledge, ascertained independently, with epistemic clarity is investigated. Surveys on large and diverse samples of physics undergraduates carried out with or without the orientation note reveal a variety of epistemic errors, some common among all groups of students, and some that are good discriminators. The epistemic measure obtained from such a tool is, however, limited in scope by its narrow definition. The construct validity of the tool and the pedagogic relevance of the work are discussed.

Non-cognitive competencies play critical role in education. Interventions targeted at these competencies require access to valid measures. Within Indian context, no such validated measure exists at present, and teachers depend on their subjective evaluation of students' non-cognitive competencies represented via grade or comment on report card. This study examined convergent validity and measurement invariance of seven sub-scales of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ), a widely used tool but not yet validated within Indian context. MSLQ, a measure of several non-cognitive competencies, was validated across four castes and two gender groups (N = 6423 elementary school students), the two categories highly relevant in the Indian context. For establishing convergent validity, multi-group confirmatory factor analysis was conducted where all the subfactors were allowed to correlate with each other. For measurement invariance, configural, metric, and scalar invariance were assessed by sequentially imposing more restrictive conditions. We found evidence for strong configural, metric, and scalar invariance across the gender and caste groups, and across all the seven sub-scales of MSLQ. Results also indicated good model fit for all caste and gender groups, thus establishing the convergent validity of all the sub-scales. The implications of the findings are discussed.

The objectives of the present study were to 1) assess student attitudes to physiology, 2) evaluate student opinions about the influence of an objective structured practical examination (OSPE) on competence, and 3) assess the validity and reliability of an indigenously designed feedback questionnaire. A structured questionnaire containing 16 item statements, 8 items on an Osgood's 5-point semantic differential scale and 8 items on a Likert's 5-point scale, was used. Options were assigned scores of 1-5 according to weightage. For Osgood's semantic differential scale items, a ?[superscript 2]-test was done to analyze student attitudes toward the subject. For Likert scale items, mean score and SD were calculated to analyze student opinions of the OSPE. Item validity was assessed by item analysis, and reliability was assessed by calculating Cronbach's a. The subject as a whole was interesting to 82% of the students (n = 135). The theory was interesting to 75% of the students (n = 132) but complex to 42% (n = 118). The practical was interesting to 93% of the students (n = 134); 76% of the students (n = 104) felt that the practical was simple, whereas 4% felt it was complex. The OSPE was interesting to 79% of the students (n = 131); 57% of the students (n = 116) felt it was simple, whereas 24% found it complex. Components of the subject, intricateness, and student interests were strongly associated. Students chose options on a higher weight scale, favoring the OSPE. Items were found to be valid and reliable. In conclusion, the subject of physiology was interesting but not simple to understand. Student interests varied with the components of the subject, and the components of the subject had varied intricateness. Students were in favor of the OSPE for assessment. The questionnaire used for the study was valid and reliable.

Weiser's (1991) conceptualisation of a world wherein human's interaction with computer technology would no longer be limited to conventional input and output devices, has now been translated into a reality with human's constant interaction with multiple interconnected computers and sensors embedded in rooms, furniture, clothes, tools, and other items that surround them. Moreover, young people's inclinations towards wireless and mobile technologies has lead researchers to propose that the use of mobile/internet learning helps in reducing both time and location constraints within the educational environment. Thus, the present study attempts to explore the critical factors that help students in adopting ubiquitous internet (u-internet) in India. A questionnaire in English was developed and data were collected from 134 students in different majors at a large Indian central university using convenience sampling technique. In order to test the reliability of the developed instrument and extract factors related to it, statistical techniques such as Cronbach's Alpha reliability test, exploratory factor analysis, symmetric measures and correlation analysis were carried out. Preliminary analysis indicates that in terms of internal consistency/reliability, the developed scale in India performed satisfactorily. The EFA findings shows that 12-item scale can be categorized into 4 different factors. Thus, the four factors were named as "efficiency"; "information"; "performance" & "techno." Standard loadings on each item was more than 0.550. Further, high and strong level of correlation was observed between the derived factors.

Background: Vitamin B12 deficiency is widely prevalent in all age groups which is of major concern. However, there is no valid Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) for dietary vitamin B12 estimation. Hence, we aimed to develop and validate an FFQ for the estimation of dietary intake of Vitamin B12. Materials and Methods: Commonly consumed B12-rich food items were selected from literature and filtered using a market survey. For concordant and discriminant validation, B12 and homocysteine levels were estimated. To establish convergent validity, the Cobalamin Intake in North Indians by Food Frequency Questionnaire (COIN-FFQ) and 72-hour dietary recall (72HrDR) were both administered to the same subjects. The COIN-FFQ was readministered after initial administration for test-retest reliability. Internal consistency of the FFQ was then tested using Cronbach's alpha. Results: We enrolled 115 adults with a mean age and weight of 31.9 ± 8.7 years and 66.0 ± 11.8 kg, respectively. In total, 19.1% were vegetarian. The dietary B12 using COIN-FFQ (n = 60; mean = 4.3 ± 1.8 µg/d) was significantly correlated (r = 0.255; P = 0.049) with serum levels (mean = 120.1 ± 62.6 pmol/L) establishing concordant validity. A significant difference was noted between the dietary, serum B12, and homocysteine levels of vegetarians versus nonvegetarians establishing discriminant validity (mean diff 1.4 (0.5-2.4), P = 0.004; Z-statistic -2.182, P value 0.029, and Z-statistic -2.438; P value 0.015), respectively. FFQ was strongly correlated with 72HrDR and test--retest FFQ (n = 27; r = 0.814, P < 0.001 and r = 0.869, P < 0.001, respectively) establishing convergent validity and test--retest reliability. The internal consistency with Cronbach's alpha was in the acceptable range, 0.631 (n = 115). Conclusion: The newly developed COIN-FFQ is valid and reliable in estimating dietary B12 intake. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: In the present studies, we examine the construct validity and criterionrelated validity of a previously unpublished, eight-item measure of relational wellbeing. Methods: First, in two pre-COVID-Era pilot studies within the UK (n's = 207 and 146, respectively), results of exploratory factor analyses revealed that--with the possible exception of one item regarding close relationships--the items assessed individual differences along a single dimension (i.e., relational wellbeing), rather than two distinct dimensions (i.e., social connections and close relationships). Second, in an initial pre-COVID-Era main study within the UK (n = 192), results of confirmatory factor analyses provided support for the hypothesized onedimensional factor pattern, although the same problematic item from the pilot studies continued to under-perform relative to the other seven items. Findings: In a subsequent COVID-Lockdown-Era main study across India (n = 205), Greece (n = 354), and the UK (n = 390), results of confirmatory factor analyses established that--after omitting the same problematic item that had surfaced in the preceding studies--a one-dimensional factor pattern provided equally satisfactory fit for the three samples. Original value: Although we had not set out to test a priori hypotheses regarding mean similarities or differences in relational wellbeing among our COVIDLockdown-Era studies, results of an analysis of variance revealed that persons within the UK scored significantly lower in relational wellbeing than did persons in India or Greece. Limitations: As noted above, one particular item repeatedly performed poorly in factor analyses; this item ideally should be dropped from the relational wellbeing scale in future research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Statement of the Problem: It is essential to address caries risk at an early stage for the prevention of dental caries. Mobile application CaRisk is designed in a particular way to self-assess the dental caries risk by the individual’s themselves. Purpose: The current study aimed to assess the dental caries risk among age groups 5-6 and 35-44 using self-assessment caries risk mobile application CaRisk and compare it with the deft and DMFT values. Materials and Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted in Chennai, India; to evaluate the risk of dental caries in children aged 5 to 6 and adults aged 35 to 44. The scores of the mobile application CaRisk and the decayed- extracted-filled teeth (deft)/ decayed-missing-filled-teeth (DMFT) caries risk assessment were evaluated. Descriptive statistics were performed. The risk category was determined by frequency. Chi-square analysis was done to determine whether the DMFT scores and the CaRisk mobile app were associated. The correlation was performed between the CaRisk mobile application and DMFT scores. Results: Association was found between the caries risk assessment score of the mobile application CaRisk and the DMFT and deft scores of the adults and children for both the age groups 5-6 and 35-44 years respectively and it indicates that it was found to be statistically significant. Pearson’s correlation was performed to assess the strength of association and R-values obtained for the age group 5-6 and 35-44 years respectively, which was statistically significant (0.892 and 0.840). Conclusion: This CaRisk mobile application scores correlate with the deft and DMFT scores and it is an effective self-diagnosis tool for assessing dental caries risk assessment. Further, it is suggested that the mobile application CaRisk should be tested among a huge population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Fixed orthodontic treatment has been the standard method to treat malocclusions for decades; however, the number of adults seeking more inconspicuous ways to enhance their smiles has significantly increased. This trend has led to the rising popularity of clear aligners among the general population, hailed as the 'invisible treatment' for correcting misaligned teeth. Aim: To assess the level of awareness among residents of Maharashtra regarding clear aligners. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopaedics, School of Dental Sciences, Krishna Vishwa Vidyapeeth (KVV) Karad, Maharashtra, India with a sample size of 423 participants. An online survey on awareness and perceptions of clear aligners among the general population of Maharashtra was carried out for one month through the dissemination of an online questionnaire. The questionnaire was administered using Google Forms and consisted of 12 closed-ended questions. The online data was collected and analysed while assessing its content validity. Results: The mean age of the study participants was 28.4±5.88 years. According to the survey, 203 (47.99%) participants had visited an orthodontist, with 87 (43.03%) receiving clear aligner recommendations as a treatment option. Notably, 266 (62.88%) were already familiar with clear aligners, and 268 (63.36%) considered them to be an effective treatment. Conclusion: The study findings indicated that 62.88% of participants had prior knowledge of clear aligners, while only 47.99% had visited an orthodontist. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In 2019, the Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) introduced the New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules 2019 (NDCTR), which separated the research guidelines for "Clinical Trials" and "Biomedical and Health Research." As a result, guidelines issued by Indian Council of Medical Research were stated to apply to academic clinical trials (ACTs). This change is important because academic studies are crucial for scientific advancement and repurposing of approved drugs in health-care industry. However, conducting an ACT can pose challenges. We assessed the level of awareness, knowledge, and challenges faced by investigators. Our aim is to overcome some of these challenges and encourage more academic studies for the betterment of healthcare and scientific knowledge in India. Methodology: The study was conducted in two phases after obtaining approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee (EC) of three tertiary care hospitals in Mumbai. In the first phase, the number of ACTs was assessed from the clinical trial registry India website, while the number of registered and re-registered ECs were assessed from the CDSCO website. The second phase involved assessing investigator awareness and knowledge about ACTs using a prevalidated questionnaire with a content validity index score of 0.93. Results: In 2020, the highest numbers of studies were registered, with the highest numbers of registered and re-registered ECs from Maharashtra. All participants completed the questionnaire and were aware of the need to follow guidelines for clinical trials. Sixty-seven percent of participants knew that the guidelines for ACTs differed from those of sponsored clinical trials, but only 58% were aware of the exact definition of an ACT as per NDCTR, 2019. Eighty-five percent of participants knew who could initiate an ACT, but only 27% knew about the applicability of results of an ACT and 33% had in-depth knowledge about the required approvals, while only 10% knew the archival period. Although 71% of participants had knowledge about serious adverse event reporting, few answered in-depth questions correctly. Only 31 participants reported facing varied challenges. Conclusion: To conduct ACTs effectively and contribute to healthcare and scientific advancement, it is crucial to enhance investigators' existing knowledge about ACTs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Tobacco usage has been identified as a leading preventable cause of mortality and is responsible for six million fatalities per year globally. India had enacted COTPA in 2003. Tobacco vendors are one of the key stakeholders for Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Act (COTPA) implementation. Objective: To assess the knowledge gap on COTPA and to explore the perceived factors influencing implementation of COTPA among tobacco vendors in Puducherry. Materials and Methods: A mixed-method study was conducted among tobacco vendors from Point of Sale (PoS) around 230 educational institutions (schools and degree colleges) in Puducherry for three months. Simple random sampling was applied to select educational institutions and the tobacco vendors from PoS located around these institutions were included. Data capture was done using a pretested, face-validated questionnaire incorporated in Epicollect software 5 and data analysis by SPSSv24. Purposive sampling was employed to conduct in-depth interviews among tobacco vendors till the point of saturation and manual content analysis performed. Written informed consents were sought. Institutional Ethical Committee approval was obtained. Results: Majority (95.7%) reported that they were aware of tobacco control legislation, but only one person had heard of COTPA. Awareness about the display of signage boards at PoS was observed in 75.7% vendors. Around 41.7% reported that they should not advertise any kind of tobacco products. Three major themes were identified: facilitators, barriers, and suggested measures for COTPA implementation. Conclusion: Tobacco vendors in Puducherry were aware of tobacco control legislations but not familiar with the COTPA and its provisions. It is necessary to put forth efforts to educate these important stakeholders to be more cognizant of COTPA and to effectively include them in anti-tobacco programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In Cerebral Palsy (CP), sensory perception is affected in addition to the motor symptoms. Now-a-days, treatment solely focuses on diagnosed motor deficiencies, often overlooking underlying sensory abnormalities and their examination. Therefore, including a clinical sensory examination in the evaluation of children with CP is crucial. Aim: To develop a validated measure for assessing sensory processing among children with CP. Materials and Methods: This study, conducted as part of a Ph.D. research project, employed an exploratory sequential research design. It commenced on March 1, 2020, and concluded on October 18, 2021, at the Physiotherapy Out Patient Department (OPD) of Swami Vivekanand Subharti University in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India. Validity tests, including Scale Level Content Validity Index (CVI) and Spearman rank correlation methods, were used alongside other subtests. The study consisted of two phases: Development and Validation. An extensive literature search and parent interviews were conducted to comprehensively understand and collect information on sensory issues. Based on this information, a preliminary questionnaire draft was created. Three categories of validity-content, face, and concurrent-were tested. Content validation involved employing a three-round online Delphi approach. Face validity was assessed through opinions from clinicians regarding the questionnaire's appearance. Concurrent validity was established by comparing the Sensory Outcome Measure (SOM) with the criterion measure scale, Short Sensory Profile (SSP). Results: For all items, Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and item-level CVI values ranged from 0.8 to 1. The overall Scale Level CVI (average) for the scale was 0.890625. Experts exhibited a 96% agreement regarding the appearance of the questionnaire, indicating complete agreement. The Spearman rank correlation coefficient value was 0.866, and the correlation graph indicated a positive association between the two scales in terms of concurrent validity. Conclusion: The Sensory Outcome Measure (SOM) has been developed as a valid scale with high content and face validity, along with excellent concurrent validity. SOM is the first measuring scale developed in India and used for assessing sensory deficits in children with CP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) among persons with schizophrenia (PwS) have been reported widely in the literature, with very few studies in India. Robust tools to assess DEB are needed in the vernacular language to capture symptoms of disordered eating accurately. No such tools are available in the Tamil language. Globally, the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) is widely used to assess DEB among PwS. Aim: This study aimed to translate and study the factor structure and reliability of EAT-26 among Tamil-speaking PwS. Materials and Methods: EAT-26 was translated into Tamil following the Oxford linguistic validation process. Experts evaluated its face validity and content validity. One hundred and fifty PwS, aged between 18 and 65 years, who attended the outpatient department of a psychiatric facility, and consented to participate, completed the Tamil version of EAT-26. Test-retest reliability of EAT-26 was assessed by readministering the tool to 30 PwS after two weeks. Data were analyzed using Stata 16.1. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were computed using Cronbach's alpha and intraclass coefficients, respectively. The factor structure of EAT-26 was explored using principal component analysis (PCA). Spearman's rho was calculated to understand the correlation between the factors. Results: EAT-26 had an internal consistency of 0.71 and test-retest reliability of 0.896. Factor analysis revealed nine latent factors consisting of 21 of the original 26 items on EAT-26. These 21 items could explain a variance of 63.63%. Conclusions: The Tamil version of the EAT-26 is a reliable tool to assess DEB among Tamil-speaking PwS. It can be used to screen PwS for eating disorder risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background & objectives: Assessing healthcare seeking behaviour (HSB), healthcare utilization and related out-of-pocket expenditures of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) of India through a prism of the health system may help to achieve equitable health outcomes. Therefore, this comprehensive study was envisaged to examine these issues among PVTGs of Odisha, India. However, there exists no validated questionnaire to measure these variables among PVTGs. Therefore, a study questionnaire was developed for this purpose and validated. Methods: Questionnaire was constructed in four phases: questionnaire development, validity assessment, pilot testing and reliability assessment. Nine domain experts face validated questionnaire in two rounds, followed by a single round of quantitative content validity. Next, the questionnaire was pretested in three rounds using cognitive interviews and pilot-tested among 335 and 100 eligible individuals for the two sections healthcare seeking behaviour (HSB-Q) and maternal and child healthcare service utilization (MCHSU-Q). Internal consistency reliability was assessed for de novo HSB-Q. Results: On two rounds of expert-driven face validity, 55 items were eliminated from 200 items. Questionnaire showed moderate to high content validity (item-level content validity index range: 0.78 to 1, scale-level content validity index/universal agreement: 0.73; scale-level content validity index/average: 0.96 and multirater kappa statistics range: 0.6 to 1). During the pre-test, items were altered until saturation was achieved. Pilot testing helped to refine interview modalities. The Cronbach alpha and McDonald’s omega assessing internal consistency of HSB-Q were 0.8 and 0.85, respectively. Interpretation & conclusions: The questionnaire was found to be valid and reliable to explore healthcare seeking behaviour, maternal and child healthcare utilization and related out-of-pocket expenditure incurred by PVTGs of Odisha, India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Summative assessments play a major role in shaping the student's learning. There is little literature available on validity of summative assessment question papers in Forensic Medicine & Toxicology. This study analyses 30 question papers from 6 reputed universities for content validity. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional record-based observational study was conducted where 30 university summative question papers in Forensic Medicine & Toxicology from 6 universities across India were evaluated for content validity. The learning domain assessed, the type of questions asked, and sampling of the content was compared and presented in the results. Results: From the results of the study, it was noted that 80% weightage was allotted to recall in most papers and only one paper tested for application. 70 to 80% of the marks were allotted to Forensic Pathology leading to disproportionate sampling. Core areas in Toxicology and Medical Jurisprudence were sparsely assessed. Conclusion: The content validity of the summative question papers in Forensic Medicine and Toxicology was unsatisfactory, emphasising the need for evaluation of the clarity and efficacy of the blueprints being used by the universities. Faculty training to motivate and influence a change in the mindset is necessary to bring about a course correction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: As work-stress, is associated with Non Communicable Diseases, and decreased work productivity, health and economic benefits are expected from periodic work-stress screening among employees using valid and reliable tools. Tool to Assess and classify Work Stress (TAWS– 16) was developed to overcome limitations in existing work-stress assessment tools in India. This study aims to test face, content, criterion and construct validity of TAWS– 16 in a sample of managerial-supervisory employees. Methods: Nine domain experts rated face and content validity of TAWS– 16. Content validity was measured by Content Validity Indices (I-CVI, S-CVI) and Modified Kappa statistics. Empirical validity was tested by analysing data reported from 356 Information Technology (IT) professionals wherein Exploratory Factor Analysis was conducted for the assessment of Construct Validity. Self-reported data was collected in an unlinked and anonymous manner using a web-link, which was emailed to the study subjects, after initial introductory telephone or personal conversation. Criterion Validity was tested against stress sub-scale of DASS– 21. This study was approved by NIMHANS ethics committee. Results: Findings revealed that TAWS– 16 has good face validity. The content validity is acceptable (CVI = 0.829). Construct Validity is appropriate as 60.8% of the total variance was explained by the factors identified in our study. Criterion Validity was moderate (Kappa Value 0.208) due to inappropriate work-stress instrument for comparison with TAWS– 16. Conclusions: Overall, TAWS– 16 demonstrated good face, content and construct validity. It measures work-stressors, coping abilities and psycho-somatic symptoms associated with work-stress. We recommend use of TAWS– 16 for periodic screening and classification of work-stress among employees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The menstrual cycle is a crucial biological rhythm typically lasting 21 to 35 days, averaging 28 days, is vital for female athletes. Increasingly, women in sports are recognising menstrual cycle impact on performance due to hormonal fluctuations. Sensitivity to these changes varies, potentially affecting exercise tolerance and energy levels during training and competition. Recognising these dynamics is crucial in physiotherapy to optimise athletic performance with tailored interventions, considering the menstrual cycle’s impact on the female body. Aim: To develop a questionnaire to examine the influence of the menstrual cycle on physical activity. Materials and Methods: To evaluate the impact of the menstrual cycle on physical activity, a self-administrative questionnaire was formulated in three stages: establishing the questionnaire's scope through reviewing literature, determining questionnaire components by consulting participants and experts feedback, and verifying its content validity with the input of eight experts using Delphi method. These eight physiotherapy experts are serving as assistant and associate professors at various universities in India, contributed to this validation process. Results: Newly developed questionnaire has content validity index of 0.98 for all the items included. Conclusion: This questionnaire is a valid tool for assessing the impact of menstrual cycle phases on physical activity of young adult. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Menstrual care products that are most used in India have historically been sanitary pads for menstrual hygiene and analgesics for period pain. Alternative menstruation care products are, nevertheless, the subject of a growing discourse. Informed decisions about menstrual hygiene and period pain management are being hampered by ignorance about these alternative menstrual care options. Aim: To develop and validate a survey questionnaire to evaluate university female students' awareness of alternative menstrual care devices for menstrual hygiene and pain relief compared to conventionally used products. Materials and Methods: The study describes two phases of questionnaire development and its validation. At first, an extensive literature review was conducted to frame the 23-item survey questionnaire, which was later validated in the later phase. For content validation, a panel of 9 experts, including gynaecologists, physiotherapists who specialise in menstrual rehabilitation, and social activists, was formed. They were prompted to validate the questionnaire produced in Google Forms after providing their consent. Results: The Content Validation Index (CVI) was used to quantitatively assess the questionnaire's content validity. The I-CVI score was calculated to be 0.97, which exceeds 0.83, suggesting an excellent content validity. Conclusion: This study successfully developed and validated a survey questionnaire with strong assessment attributes. The developed questionnaire can be used to carry out surveys among females in the menstrual age and based on the results, modifications can be made to menstrual rehabilitation, its implication policies and awareness programs related to it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Fatigue is commonly characterised as an extreme state of being tired and feeling exhausted. There are two types of fatigue: Mental which leads to reduced concentration and Physical which leads to decrease in performance. One of the major occupational risk factors that lead to fatigue is prolonged standing. Healthcare professionals are also affected by this issue as they have to stand prolong time in their duty hours. Aim: To find the effect of prolong standing on fatigue in the healthcare professionals. Materials and Methods: The Questionnaire was developed in three phases. In first phase we identify the domain of the questionnaire by doing intense literature survey. Then items of the questionnaire were identified from the domain by taking interview from the participants and taking expert opinion. Then we send the questionnaire through Delphi methods to 9 experts for content validation of questionnaire. All the experts are from physiotherapy profession and currently working as an assistant and associate professor in different universities from India. Results: Newly developed questionnaire has content validity index of 1 for all the items included. Conclusion: The developed questionnaire has the significant content validity to check the fatigue among healthcare professionals. The questionnaire was designed to capture the specific type of fatigue that is most relevant to prolonged standing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nurses Notes (NN) is an important record maintained by nurses as part of the care provided to patients. It also serves as a legal document in the field of patient care. Generally nursing institutions in India use their own formats to maintain patient care records by their students, resulting into a variety of different NN formats across nursing institutions in India. This scenario indicates a research gap towards a standardization of NN format across India. This research addresses identified gap through the development of a standard NN format for nursing institutions in India. Material and Methods: Researchers conducted a review of existing NN formats used by different nursing institutions across India. An initial draft of Comprehensive Nurses Notes (CNN) format was then prepared following synthesis research approach. CNN was then optimized as per feedback received from 17 experts (nursing teachers having minimum of 10 years of teaching experience) following purposive sampling method. The optimized CNN (OCNN) draft then used as a structured questionnaire administered through online method to collect feedback from 100 experts across India following random sampling method. This resulted into design of standardized NN format for nursing institutions across India. Approval was taken from institutional research review committee and informed consent was taken from the participants. Result: CNN was optimized through Content Validity Ratio (CVR) analysis with 0.42 as critical value as per the size of expert panel, resulting into OCNN. Validity of OCNN analyzed through Content Validity (S-CVI/Ave as 0.88, S-CVI/UA as 0.964 and critical values as 0.78) and Face Validity. Its reliability was tested through using test-retest method. Conclusion: The result provides a standardized Nurses Notes format for nursing institutions across India. It will help to bring uniformity in NN management leading to development of India specific NN protocol towards an electronic version of NN. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: National legislation (COTPA) in India has focused on school children with dedicated section (6a and 6b) for tobacco control at Educational Institutions. Innovative mediums like Comic offer unique and engaging medium for dissemination of health information. However, its true potential remains unexplored in tobacco control. The study was conducted to develop and validate Comic for promotion of tobacco control laws in school settings. Materials and Methods: The present cross-sectional study was conducted among school teachers in Delhi in three phases: (1) need assessment, (2) development of Comic, and (3) validation (face/content validity by experts in public health/tobacco control, and construct validity by school teachers). Ethical clearance was obtained from Institutional Ethical Review Board. Prevalidated, structured, close-ended, and self-administered Questionnaire was used for the data collection. SPSS version 21 was used for descriptive and inferential results. Results: Phase 1 showed, out of 150 school teachers, 121 participated (80.66%). Mean age and teaching experience was 41.85 ± 9.76 years and 10.35 ± 6.53 years, respectively. Overall awareness about COTPA was 47.9% (n = 58) and COTPA sections 4 and 6 were 37.2% (n = 45). Majority 59.5% (n = 72) reported lack of access to training material. Phase 2 and 3 showed overall content validity index (CVI) score of 0.84. Construct validity evaluation from pre–postintervention yield mean ± SD scores of 3.94 ± 0.99 and 7.97 ± 1.17, respectively, (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Comic was developed on sound theoretical basis with satisfactory face, content and construct validity, to raise awareness about tobacco control among school children, and teachers to promote tobacco-free school. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Vitiligo can be associated with a psychological burden, stigmatization and impaired quality of life. Tools to assess the impact of vitiligo exist; however, none were developed in line with the FDA's patient-reported outcome (PRO) Guidance for Industry. This study aimed to explore the content validity of two newly developed PRO measures to assess the impact of facial and total body vitiligo on how patients feel and function. Methods: Draft PRO measures were developed from existing literature and input from PRO experts, a patient advocate and a clinical expert. Qualitative interviews were conducted with US participants living with vitiligo and international dermatologists with vitiligo expertise. Concept elicitation methodology explored the relevance of concepts in the draft PRO, while cognitive debriefing assessed conceptual relevance and understanding/interpretation. Items were iteratively amended/added throughout the interview study. Results: The 60 participants included adults (n = 48, 63% female, 18–62 years old) and adolescents (n = 12, 67% female, 12–17 years old) with Fitzpatrick Skin Types I–VI. Expert dermatologists from the US (n = 8), EU (n = 4), India (n = 1) and Egypt (n = 1) participated. Concept elicitation was utilized to confirm the signs/symptoms of vitiligo and the associated impact on emotional/psychological wellbeing, social functioning, daily life and work/school. Conceptual saturation was achieved. Most participants reported impacts on their emotional/psychological wellbeing (n = 57, 95%), e.g. feeling self-conscious (n = 35, 58%). Participants reported impacts on social functioning (n = 53, 88%), e.g. vitiligo being noticed by others (n = 42, 70%). There was general consensus between participants and expert dermatologists. Cognitive debriefing confirmed that the items were well understood. Most items were conceptually relevant; feeling self-conscious and feeling frustrated were highly endorsed. Items were removed based on low conceptual relevance (feeling abandoned, skin roughness) and expected redundancy (four items), resulting in two measures with three proposed domain scores: Emotional/Psychological Wellbeing; Social Functioning; and Physical Sensation. No comprehension concerns were observed in relation to the 7-day recall period or the item response scale/options. Eight dermatologists reviewed the PRO measures, confirming comprehensiveness and relevance. Conclusion: The draft Vitiligo Patient Priority Outcomes (ViPPO) measures evaluate the impact of facial (ViPPO-F) and total body (ViPPO-T) vitiligo on emotional/psychological and social functioning. The ViPPO measures are well understood, comprehensive and content valid for adults and adolescents with vitiligo. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Substance use among adolescents is increasing rapidly and becoming a global health concern worldwide. Because of the changing trends and rising magnitude in India, there is an urgent need to adapt and validate instruments to assess adolescents' substance use. The study translated the Teen-Addiction Severity Index (T-ASI) into Hindi and assessed the psychometric properties. Methods: The instrument (T-ASI) was translated from English to Hindi using: (a) forward translation: translation from the source language into the target one, (b) comparison and synthesis of the two translated versions, (c) blind backward translation, (d) comparison of the two back-translated versions and development of prefinal version, (e) conceptual evaluation of items and pilot study, and (f) assessing the psychometric properties. Results: The content validity of Hindi T-ASI was quite high (0.97). A significant positive correlation r = 0.439* (0.014) between the T-ASI family functioning domain and the organization scale of the Family Environment Scale (FES) demonstrated good concurrent validity. Youth self-report substance use domain correlated well with youth self-report behavior problems scale r = 0.385 (0.033) and the psychiatric status domain correlated with all three internalizing 0.606 (<0.001), externalizing 0.363 (0.045), and behavior problem scale 0.546** (0.001). Construct validity showed significant differences between two groups (substance-using and nonsubstance-using groups) in all domains except school and peer status. Cross-cultural validity shows that the two versions are equivalent. The translated version showed satisfactory reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.727). Conclusion: The translation and validation of Hindi–T-ASI show adequate psychometric properties and can be recommended for use in treatment settings across the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The Menopause-specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) questionnaire was developed in 1996 to assess the health-related quality of life (QOL) in the menopausal transition and it addresses the degree to which menopausal symptoms had bothered women. The objective of this study was to translate the MENQOL questionnaire in the Odia- regional language of India and validate it for usage in the Odia-speaking menopausal women. Methods: The original English questionnaire MENQOL with 1-month recall period was translated by the researchers. According to instructions by Mapi Research Trust, the questionnaire was forward and backward translated, followed by participant testing and proofreading. Validity and reliability were evaluated by the following tests: internal consistency (reliability), stability (test-retest reliability) with Cronbach's alpha correlations, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and content validity index. Results: A total of 80 postmenopausal women participated in the study. The ICC score and Cronbach's alpha value of all the four domains such as vasomotor, psychosocial, physical, and sexual of both MENQOL English and Odia (MENQOL-E and MENQOL-O) versions recommended excellent homogeneity. The internal consistency using the Cronbach's alpha showed high reliability (0.993) between the MENQOL-E and MENQOL-O questionnaires. Conclusion: The MENQOL-O questionnaire will be used at the individual to community health-care settings to measure QOL and those identified with lower menopause-related QOL, they may get support and care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to perform a psychometric evaluation of the internal green marketing (IGM) scale in the context of consumer, industrial and service industry from a developing economy. Drawing on IGM theory, this study validates the measurement scales to operationalize IGM as green internal communication (GIC), green skill development (GSD) and green rewards (GRs). Design/methodology/approach: The sample was drawn from the consumer, industrial and service industries in Jammu and Kashmir, India, using a random sampling method. Data were collected from consumer, industrial and service industries in two phases through a self-administrated questionnaire-based survey. In total, 137 managers responded during the first phase, and 368 managers responded during the second phase. During the first phase, exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted to uncover the underlying dimensions of IGM, and during the second phase, data were analyzed to test the validity of the IGM scale through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Findings: EFA suggested a three-dimension scale (green internal communication (GIC), green skill development (GSD), and green rewards (GR)) which was confirmed by CFA. The findings of the study demonstrate that IGM is a valid and reliable scale to capture the individual-level perception of the employees with respect to the green internal marketing of an organization. Practical implications: This paper is expected to provide valuable insights into the area of internal green marketing (IGM) about an industry that can be of immense help to domestic and international marketers in formulating human resource (HR)/marketing strategies. Further, it provides a wide-ranging scale that can act as a base for future research studies that aim to explore internal green marketing (IGM) in different organizational settings. Originality/value: IGM is embedded in three underlying elements as GIC, GSD and GRs. It is suitable to the practitioner and researchers to operationalize IGM as a second-order construct in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: COVID-19 has led to a spate of rhino-orbital-cerebral mucormycosis cases in India, the epidemiology of which was least understood before. Only a few case series and case reports discuss the symptomatology of mucormycosis. Aims: The primary objective of our study was to estimate the prevalence of pain in patients with mucormycosis. The secondary objectives include the type, regional distribution, characteristics and determinants of pain in patients with mucormycosis. Settings and Design: A cross-sectional study was conducted on consecutive adult patients with mucormycosis in our hospital. Materials and Methods: Following recruitment, a preplanned written questionnaire that was tested for validity with peers, with closed-ended queries was filled on a sole visit by an anesthesia postgraduate based on the response by the patient. Statistical analysis used: Categorical variables were summarized as proportion and percentage. To compare quantitative variables, Chi-square test was used. Results: A total of 69 out of the 80 patients recruited complained of pain (P value = 0.468). A total of 76.8% of patients had pain in the supraorbital region with 84% of the patients complaining of throbbing pain and 98.6% needing analgesics. Gender, pre-existing diabetes mellitus, organs affected due to mucormycosis, prior steroid usage, prior COVID illness, surgical intervention, and previous experience of pain in the same region had no influence on the presence or severity of pain. Conclusions: Pain is one of the presenting symptoms in patients with mucormycosis which is usually in the supraorbital and maxillary region, nociceptive type and throbbing in nature, and moderate to severe in intensity usually managed with simple analgesics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study includes the concept of Kundalini - a coiled serpent power from the Eastern philosophy of yoga. Generally looked up as one of the mystical concept by common man. The main objective of the paper is to develop a scale which can simplify the concept of kundalini. We have taken a sample of 310 out of 1500 yoga students and scholars from more than five universities of India. We tested the facial validity, Content Validity Index by four experts and further factor loadings (promax rotation) of items which were considered suitable for the intended results. The scale was tested and verified with dimensional reduction through EFA by SPSS 25 version with values Cron-bach alpha 0.94 and variance 51.87%. Sample adequacy was found the good with KMO's value 0.95. and Bartlett's test of sphericity with chi square value approx. 2794.56 with significance level P<0.001. Overall Simplified Kundalini Scale's results were found to be significant at every level. Goodness of the 16 item scale is up to the mark, fitting all the values within the given range of parameters by CFA using AMOS version 25. Simplified Kundalini Scale can be valid and reliable measure for kundalini yoga practitioners. And hence paving the way for common man to gain physical as well as overall wellbeing in every sphere of life. For the further research we would strongly recommend that in future the sub-scales should be interpreted with caution, if constructed and overall scale should be used for best results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

OBJECTIVES: The current research focussed to explore the association of daily spiritual experience on the mental well- being of international students hails from Africa and pursuing studies in various higher education institutions in India. The research also tried to explore whether age and gender plays a significant role in the mental well- being of the respondents. DESIGN: The study is an exploratory cross-sectional in nature. The research tool comprised of the Daily Spiritual Experience Scale (DSES) and Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS) along with the demographic details. Post reliability and validity tests established scales are used to study the variable in the research. The data was analysed using Smart PLS SEM 3.3.2. SETTING: The respondents comprise of international students hails from Africa and pursuing various undergraduate, post graduate and PhD courses from various institutions at Bhopal, Delhi, Mumbai and Rajasthan in India. The respondents include a cohort of 102 respondents who gave consent to be part of the study during first week of July to first week of August 2021 and were selected through purposive sampling technique. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The research measures the association of daily spiritual experience and mental well- being during pandemic and also the coping strategies used by the respondents. FINDINGS: The research report shows an insignificant relation of gender to the mental well-being whereas age reported a significant association. A significant association is reported between daily spiritual experience and mental wellbeing of the respondents amidst pandemic situation. CONCLUSION: Pandemic outbreaks influences the mental well-being of individuals specially when they are away from the social support system. Hence counselling services and other interventions to cater to the needs of students requires a serious deliberation at the policy level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Head and neck cancers (HNC) are one of the most traumatic forms of cancer because they affect essential aspects of life such as speech, swallowing, eating and disfigurement. HNCs are common in India, with over 100,000 cases being registered each year. HNC and treatment are both associated with considerable anxiety and depression. With increasing multinational research, no suitable measures in Indian languages are available to assess anxiety and depression in Indian HNC patients. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of cross-culturally adapted versions of Zung's self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and the Patient health questionnaire – 9 (PHQ-9) in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi speaking Indian HNC populations. Methods: HNC patients were recruited from three tertiary cancer centres in India. Patients completed the cross-culturally adapted versions of SAS and PHQ-9. We assessed targeting, scaling assumptions, construct validity (exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses), convergent validity, and internal consistency reliability. Results: The study sample included 205 Tamil, 216 Telugu and 200 Hindi speaking HNC patients. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated a two-factor solution for PHQ-9 and four-factor solution for SAS in all three languages. Cronbach's alpha coefficients ranged between 0.717 and 0.890 for PHQ-9 and between 0.803 and 0.868 for SAS, indicating good reliability. Correlations between hypothesized scales were as expected providing evidence towards convergent validity. Conclusions: This first psychometric evaluation of the measurement properties of Tamil, Telugu and Hindi versions of the SAS and PHQ-9 in large, Indian HNC populations supported their use as severity and outcome measures across the disease and treatment continuum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Prevalence of hypothyroidism is found high in India in the recent years and is more commonly seen in women. While treating the condition with pharmacological intervention, importance of exercise, diet and lifestyle modifications play a significant role in managing the condition. Yoga based techniques have shown positive impact in managing hypothyroid related symptoms. Yoga when considered as a therapeutically approach needs to be customised by considering specific yogic techniques for the targeted health condition and it is also essential to validate the yoga module for a given health condition. While there are a few validated yoga modules for managing obesity, backpain etc., there are no validated yoga modules for treating/managing hypothyroid condition. Aim: To develop an integrated yoga module for hypothyroidism. Materials and Methods: Integrated yoga module has been designed based on traditional yoga literature and expert opinion. Based on the pancha kosha model (five layered existence), 53 yogic techniques were compiled and sent to 36 experts for content and face validation. Experts validated each technique by rating the relevance on a five point likert scale. Validated techniques were administered to a group of 35 women having hypothyroidism to assertain acceptance and the possibility of practice of said techniques. Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and the average of mean, mode and median of scores were calculated. Data analysis was done using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 23. Results: Out of the 53 techniques, 41 techniques scored either CVR more than 0.5 or average of mean, median and mode more than 4. Conclusion: The developed integrated yoga module for hypothyroidism enjoys good face and content validity. Initial feasibility test confirms that the techniques are accepted and could be practiced by the hypothyroid patients. Further validation of the module using a pre-post study is warranted to confirm its efficacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information technology sector plays a vital role in the economy of the country. So the present study focused on the information technology sector of India to determine the effectiveness of human resource digital transformation. The administrative activities include personal record, updating details and benefits information, employee experience comprise cultural environment, technological environment and physical environment, and work-family balance encompass personal relationship, physical & mental health and overall happiness as independent variables. A total of 336 sample data collected from the employees of the information technology sector from Chennai. The goodness of model fit, composite reliability, discriminant validity between constructs, PLS path modelling utilized in fullfledged structural equation modelling by adopting SmartPLS to test the hypothesis. Employee experience has a positive influence; administrative tasks and work-family balance do not have a positive influence on human resource digital transformation. The results of the effectiveness of human resource digital transformation help the organization in decision-making and emphasize their action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This paper aims to develop an institutional framework to examine the role of governmental and social pressures on green product purchase intentions. Because of the increased focus on environmental issues in emerging markets, an examination of the institutional environment in India can provide unique insights into the drivers of green consumption. Design/methodology/approach: A large-scale data collection is conducted via an online survey to test the validity of the theorized model. A survey methodology is used to collect responses from a sample of 400 consumers in India and analyzed via Smart PLS 3.0. Findings: The findings suggest moral norms, injunctive and descriptive, have varying influences on consumers. Further, governmental influence, at least in India, may not have a positive impact one would expect. The results indicate the institutional framework developed in this research has a good predictive ability in green marketing settings and offers insights for businesses and policymakers to enhance consumers' motivations to purchase green products. Originality/value: From a theoretical perspective, this research is the first to examine the institutional environment on green consumption in India and provides unique insights into the influences of green consumption. The results suggest the institutional environment in India presents unique opportunities for practitioners and policymakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Systematic data on physical activity level in Indian kidney transplanted patients are limited. Physical activity is considered an essential part of healthy life style for all population including kidney transplant recipients. The International Physical Activity Questionnaires (IPAQ) is internationally accepted self-reported screening tool for assessment of physical activity. However, till date Gujarati and Hindi version of IPAQ is not validated for Indian kidney transplant recipients. Aim: To validate the Gujarati and Hindi translated version of IPAQ long form in Indian kidney transplant recipients. Method: Original English version of IPAQ-long form was translated in Gujarati and Hindi language and evaluated for face, construct, concurrent validity and test retest reliability among Gujarati and Hindi transplant recipients. Result: 4 questions out of 27 were modified with 80% consensus of panelist to achieve face validity of both version of questionnaire. Total physical activity score of Gujarati (r=0.83) and Hindi (r=0.72) version were positively correlated with 6MWD in male transplant patients suggesting accepted construct validity. There was high positive correlation noted between all component of English, Gujarati and Hindi version (r>0.8, p<0.05) having good concurrent validity and acceptable test retest reliability. Conclusion: The modified Gujarati and Hindi version of IPAQ long form showed acceptable validity and reliability for the assessment of physical activity among kidney transplant recipients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: To evaluate the reproducibility and construct validity of the Madras Diabetes Research Foundation FFQ (MDRF-FFQ) with biomarkers for its use in epidemiological settings in India.Methods and Study Design: The MDRF-FFQ was administered to 500 participants representing rural and urban areas of 10 Indian states, twice at an interval of 12 months. Reproducibility was assessed using intra cluster correlation coefficients (ICC). Construct validity of carbohydrate and fat intake was assessed using baseline serum lipids by regression analysis.Results: Reproducibility as measured by ICC was 0.50-0.77 for saturated fatty acids (SFA) and energy in urban and 0.61-0.72 for protein and SFA in rural areas. The ICC for food groups was 0.53-0.77 for whole grains, fruits and vegetables in urban and 0.50-0.89 for animal foods and whole grains in rural areas. After adjusting for potential confounders, carbohydrate intake was positively associated with serum triglycerides (TG) (β [SE]: +2.3 [0.72] mg/dL; p=0.002) and inversely with high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL) (β [SE]:-0.48 [0.12], p<0.001), while dietary fat and SFA (% Energy) were positively associated with HDL, low density lipoprotein (LDL) and total cholesterol and inversely with TG.Conclusions: The MDRF-FFQ can be considered as a reliable and valid tool to measure the long-term dietary exposure in respect of macronutrient intakes in Indian populations despite diverse dietary practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the paper is to develop a validated scale to measure the factors that cause delays in infrastructure projects. The study employed a standard three phase scale development procedure of Churchill (1979) which was augmented subsequently by Nunnally, Bernstein and Berge (1994) and Prakash and Phadtare (2018). In phase one, 73 factors that cause delays were identified, which were reduced to 45 based on literature review and expert opinions. These 45 factors were subjected to an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in phase two and three, respectively, to refine and establish convergent, discriminant and nomological validity of the scale. The study confirms that delays in infrastructure projects happen due to six factors, i.e., Contractor Related Factors (CON); Consultant Related Factors (CS); External Factors (EX); Labour Related Factors (LR); Material Related Factors (MT) and Design Related Factors (DJ). The study is particularly useful for the firms engaged in the development of infrastructure projects globally, as it identifies and ranks the factors that cause delays in a project. However, the study being confirmatory in nature only confirms the grouping of factors causing delays and is also limited by the possibility of sampling error. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Aims: Perioperative fasting guidelines have been published and updated to standardise practices. Hence, Indian Society of Anaesthesiologists decided to conduct a survey to assess the fasting practices and the food habits across India, which would be subsequently used for developing preoperative fasting guidelines for the Indian population. We detail and discuss herewith the content validity of the questionnaire developed for the survey. Methods: Thirty-six questions related to perioperative fasting practices were framed based on the collected evidence and relevance to regional diet and concerns. Subsequently, an information sheet was prepared and sent to 10 experts to grade each question. The responses were tabulated, and item-wise content validity index (I-CVI), scale-wise content validity index (S-CVI) and modified kappa statistic were calculated in Microsoft Excel™ sheet. Results: Seven of the 10 experts completed the assessment and grading as per the instructions provided and submitted a completed proforma. S-CVI for relevance, simplicity, clarity and ambiguity was 0.72, 0.86, 0.72 and 0.72, respectively. S-CVI/average or average congruency percentagewas 0.95, 0.97, 0.95 and 0.95 for relevance, simplicity, clarity and ambiguity, respectively. Question 2 received an I-CVI of 0.71 in terms of clarity and question 23 received an I-CVI of 0.71. They were modified as persuggestions of the experts. Conclusion: We conclude that our questionnaire designed to ascertain the preoperative fasting practices for a surveymet the content validity criteria both by qualitative and quantitative analyses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Effective communication skills are essential for resident doctors to provide optimum patient care. This study was conducted to develop and validate a questionnaire for the self-assessment of resident doctors' communication skills in India. Methods: This was a mixed-methods study conducted in 2 phases. The first phase consisted of questionnaire development, including the identification of relevant literature, focus group discussions with residents and experts from clinical specialties, and pre-testing of the questionnaire. The second phase involved administering the questionnaire survey to 95 residents from the Departments of Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Pediatrics, and Surgery at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India in April 2019. Internal consistency was tested and the factor structure was analyzed to test construct validity. Results: The questionnaire consisted of 3 sections: (A) 4 items on doctor-patient conflicts and the role of communication skills in avoiding these conflicts, (B) 29 items on self-assessment of communication skills in different settings, and (C) 8 items on barriers to practicing good communication skills. Sections B and C had good internal consistency (Cronbach α: 0.885 and 0.771, respectively). Section C had a 2-factor solution, and the barriers were classified as 'training' and 'infrastructure' factors. Conclusion: This appears to be a valid assessment tool of resident doctors' communication skills, with potential utility for identifying gaps in communication skills and developing communication skills modules. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: This study was designed to translate and validate the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) distress thermometer (DT) in regional language "Malayalam" and to see the feasibility of using it in our patients. Aims: (1) To translate and validate the NCCN DT. (2) To study the feasibility of using validated Malayalam translated DT in Malabar Cancer center. Settings and Design: This is a single-arm prospective observational study. The study was conducted at author's institution between December 8, 2015, and January 20, 2016 in the Department of Cancer Palliative Medicine. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective observational study carried out in two phases. In Phase 1, the linguistic validation of the NCCN DT was done. In Phase 2, the feasibility, face validity, and utility of the translated of NCCN DT in accordance with QQ-10 too was done. Statistical Analysis Used: SPSS version 16 (SPSS Inc. Released 2007. SPSS for Windows, Version 16.0. Chicago, SPSS Inc.) was used for analysis. Results: Ten patients were enrolled in Phase 2. The median age was 51.5 years and 40% of patients were male. All patients had completed at least basic education up to the primary level. The primary site of cancer was heterogeneous. The NCCN DT completion rate was 100%. The face validity, utility, reliability, and feasibility were 100%, 100%, 100%, and 90%, respectively. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the Malayalam validated DT has high face validity, utility, and it is feasible for its use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background. Common mental disorders (CMD) are among the most significant contributors to disability worldwide. Patient-reported disability outcomes should be included as a key metric in the comparative assessment of value across global mental health interventions. This study aims to evaluate the validity of a widely used, cross-cultural tool -- the 12-item World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHODAS) -- as a functional outcome measure for CMD treatment. Methods. The study population includes 1024 participants with CMD enrolled in the MANAS trial in India. CMD was assessed using the Revised Clinical Interview Schedule (CIS-R). Disability was assessed using the 12-item WHODAS II plus a measure of disability days. This analysis presents the correlations between these disability items and CMD symptom severity at 2 months after enrollment (convergent validity) and the items' associations with CMD recovery 4 months later (external responsiveness). Results. All items showed a positive correlation of disability with CMD symptom severity (p < 0.001). The WHODAS items of 'standing,' 'household responsibilities,' and 'emotional disturbance' explained the most variance in CMD symptom severity. Improvements in 'disability days,' 'emotional disturbance,' 'standing,' 'household responsibilities,' 'day-today work,' and 'concentrating' were significantly associated with CMD recovery over follow-up. Conclusions. Further research is recommended on a CMD-specific WHODAS subscale comprised of the six WHODAS items found to be most strongly associated with CMD severity and recovery. This shorter, CMD-specific disability subscale would critically serve as a common metric to compare intervention impact on patient-centered outcomes and, in turn, to allocate global mental health resources efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the effect of globalization or westernization on nutrition and physical activity behaviors of adolescents in New Delhi, India.