Validation of the Asthma Illness Representation Scale-Spanish (AIRS-S).
BACKGROUND
To expand knowledge surrounding parental illness representations (IRs) of their children's asthma, it is imperative that culturally appropriate survey instruments are developed and validated for use in clinical and research settings. The Asthma Illness Representation Scale (AIRS) provides a structured assessment of the key components of asthma IRs, allowing the health care provider (HCP) to quickly identify areas of discordance with the professional model of asthma management. The English AIRS was developed and validated among a geographically and ethnically diverse sample. The authors present the validation results of the AIRS-S (Spanish) from a sample of Mexican and Puerto Rican parents.


METHODS
The AIRS was translated and back translated per approved methodologies. Factor analysis, internal reliability, external validity, and 2-week test-retest reliability (on a subsample) were carried out and results compared with the validated English version. Data were obtained from 80 Spanish-speaking Mexican and Puerto Rican parents of children with asthma. The sample was recruited from two school-based health centers and a free medical clinic in Phoenix, Arizona, and a hospital-based asthma clinic in Bronx, New York.


RESULTS
The original Nature of Asthma Symptoms, Facts About Asthma, and Attitudes Towards Medication Use subscales emerged. Remaining factors were a mixture of items with no coherent or theoretical distinction between them. Interpretation of results is limited due to not meeting the minimum requirement of 5 observations/item. Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the total score (alpha = .77) and majority of subscales (alpha range = .53-.77) were acceptable and consistent with the English version. Parental reports of a positive relationship with the HCP significantly predicted AIRS scores congruent with the professional model; longer asthma duration was associated with beliefs aligned with the lay model; and AIRS scores congruent with the professional model were related to lower asthma severity. Stability in AIRS-S scores over 2 weeks was demonstrated.


CONCLUSIONS
The AIRS-S is a culturally appropriate instrument that can be used by HCPs to ascertain Spanish-speaking parents' asthma illness beliefs and assess discordance with the professional model of asthma management. This information can be used by the HCP when discussing parent's asthma management strategies for their children during clinical encounters.
College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University, Phoenix, Arizona 85004, USA. kimberly.arcoleo@asu.edu
Kimberly Joan
KJ
Sidora-Arcoleo
Jonathan
J
Feldman
Denise
D
Serebrisky
Amanda
A
Spray
D000293:Adolescent; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D054521:Cultural Competency; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011594:Psychometrics; D011647:Puerto Rico / Q000208:ethnology; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012648:Self Care; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires