Abstract

Background This study was conducted with the aim of developing a standard and valid questionnaire to evaluate the behavioral factors affecting musculoskeletal disorders among adolescent students based on the educational and ecological diagnosis phase of the PRECEDE model. Methods Based on the PRECEDE model and by using available resources and a panel of experts, a reservoir of items was proposed. The content validity of the questions was measured using content validity ratio (CVR) and content validity index (CVI). 400 Iranian first-year female high school students completed the questionnaire. The construct validity was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The reliability of the questionnaire was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Results The age range of study students was 13.69 +/- 0.86 years. The final developed questionnaire included 25 items in three dimensions: knowledge (9 items), attitude (10 items) and enabling factors (6 items). The mean scores of CVI and CVR were 0.97 and 0.92, respectively. The results of CFA confirmed the three-factor structure of the questionnaire. The Cronbach's alpha coefficients of the dimensions of knowledge, attitude and enabling factors were 0.65, 0.80 and 0.71, respectively. Conclusions The present questionnaire had appropriate psychometric properties and could be used as a valid tool in evaluating the factors affecting the development of musculoskeletal disorders among adolescent students.