Adaptation of the ''Food Allergy Self-Efficacy Scale for Parents''(FASE-P) to Turkish: a validity and reliability study.

Abstract

Background: Food allergy is a public health issue that has a significant impact on the lives of families. Parental self-efficacy/confidence is important in managing food allergies. The aim of this study is to validate the "Food Allergy Self-Efficacy Scale for Parents" (FASE-P) and assess parental self-efficacy in managing their child's food allergy.

Methods: Turkish version of the FASE-P (T-FASE-P) was administered to 347 parents of children aged 0-18 who had been followed for at least one month due to food allergy at the Pediatric Allergy Clinic of Prof. Dr. Cemil Taşcıoğlu City Hospital between September 1 and December 31, 2023, through face-to-face interviews and online surveys for parents of children with food allergies from the general population. Content validity, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted to evaluate the validity of the scale. General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) was used for concurrent criterion validity. Internal consistency analysis, test-retest application, and item analysis were conducted to assess its reliability.

Results: T-FASE-P scale initially contained 21 items, and the Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α) calculated in this form was found to be 0.89. Later, when 4 items were excluded, the 17-item version of the scale was calculated as α=0.90. The intra-class correlation coefficient between the test and re-test was found to be 0.972. The content validity index value of the scale was calculated as 0.99, indicating that the content validity was at a sufficient level. In the EFA, it was determined that the scale formed a three-factor structural model and that this model explained 60.82% of the total variance. As a result of the CFA, the fit indices were calculated as χ2/df=2.341, GFI=0.919, TLI=0.950, indicating a good level of fit. Based on the analysis results, T-FASE-P consists of 17 items and three subscales.

Conclusion: T-FASE-P scale is a valid and reliable measurement tool that can be used to determine the food allergy self-efficacy of Turkish parents.