Cross-sectional validation of a breast cancer KAP scale for urban Indian women using social media
Nibha SinhaAbstract
Background:
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in India, particularly among urban women, yet awareness and early detection remain inadequate. Addressing this gap requires reliable, culturally appropriate tools to measure awareness levels and to promote targeted interventions. With the growing influence of digital media, social platforms offer a powerful channel for health communication. This study aimed to validate a breast cancer knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) scale specifically designed for social media-active urban Indian women.
Methods:
A cross-sectional study was conducted among a sample of women aged 18 years and above from the Delhi-National Capital Region. The 542 completed questionnaires were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and reliability tests to validate the scale. The 36-item instrument assessed three domains: knowledge (risk factors, symptoms, and screening practices), attitude, and preventive practices. Content validity was established through expert evaluation, construct validity through CFA, and internal consistency through Cronbach’s alpha.
Results:
The CFA results demonstrated a good model fit. All items exhibited satisfactory factor loadings, with composite reliability values exceeding 0.70 and average variance extracted (AVE) values above 0.50, confirming convergent validity. Discriminant validity was also achieved as the AVE square roots were greater than inter-construct correlations. The overall Cronbach’s alpha of 0.87 indicated high reliability.
Conclusion:
The study provides a psychometrically tested tool to assess awareness (knowledge, attitude and practice) of breast cancer among digitally connected urban women. It can be used to identify knowledge gaps and evaluate the effectiveness of awareness campaigns.