Objectives Social capital has been studied due to its contextual influence on health. However, no specific assessment tool has been developed and validated for the measurement of social capital among 12-year-old adolescent students. The aim of the present study was to develop and validate a quick, simple assessment tool to measure social capital among adolescent students. Methods A questionnaire was developed based on a review of relevant literature. For such, searches were made of the Scientific Electronic Library Online, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences, The Cochrane Library, ISI Web of Knowledge, International Database for Medical Literature and PubMed Central bibliographical databases from September 2011 to January 2014 for papers addressing assessment tools for the evaluation of social capital. Focus groups were also formed by adolescent students as well as health, educational and social professionals. The final assessment tool was administered to a convenience sample from two public schools (79 students) and one private school (22 students), comprising a final sample of 101 students. Reliability and internal consistency were evaluated using the Kappa coefficient and Cronbach's alpha coefficient, respectively. Content validity was determined by expert consensus as well as exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Results The final version of the questionnaire was made up of 12 items. The total scale demonstrated very good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha: 0.71). Reproducibility was also very good, as the Kappa coefficient was higher than 0.72 for the majority of items (range: 0.63 to 0.97). Factor analysis grouped the 12 items into four subscales: School Social Cohesion, School Friendships, Neighborhood Social Cohesion and Trust (school and neighborhood). Conclusions The present findings indicate the validity and reliability of the Social Capital Questionnaire for Adolescent Students.
Department of Child and Adolescent Health, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil;Department Dentistry, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, Brazil;Department of Basic Sciences, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, Diamantina, Brazil;Department of Child and Adolescent Health, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil;Department of Oral Public Health, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil;Department of Oral Public Health, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil;Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard School of Public Heath and Medical School, Harvard, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America;Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, School of Dentistry, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
Recommended Citation:
Paula Cristina Pelli Paiva,Haroldo Neves de Paiva,Paulo Messias de Oliveira Filho,et al. Development and Validation of a Social Capital Questionnaire for Adolescent Students (SCQ-AS)[J]. PLOS ONE,2014-01-01,9(8)