Background: The Cancer Attitude inventory (CAI) was developed to measure attitudes toward cancer. The aim of the present study was to describe the development of the Persian version of the CAI and to evaluate its psychometric properties in an Iranian sample.
Methods: The forward-backward method was used to translate the CAI scale from English into Persian. After linguistic validation and a pilot check, a cross-sectional study was performed and psychometric properties of the Iranian version of the questionnaire were assessed. The scale validation was conducted with a convenience sample of 820 laypeople. Construct validity was assessed through both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Internal consistency was assessed through Cronbach's alpha analysis and test-retest analysis.
Results: Five factors were identified in CAI: isolation, helplessness, fear of consequence, belief of control and independence, and fear of death. The results achieved from the CFA displayed that the data fit the model: the relative chi-square (× 2/df) = 2.98 (p < .001), and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = .07 (90% CI = .06-.07). All comparative indices of the model had scores greater than .80, demonstrating a good fit to the data. Cronbach's Alpha and the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) were .97, which is well above the acceptable threshold.
Conclusions: The results indicate that the Persian version of the CAI is practical, reliable and valid. Consequently, the instrument could be used in plans to create positive attitudes about cancer control and treatment among Persian people.
Keywords: Attitude; Cancer; Instrument; Psychometrics.