title: [Validation of a knowledge-questionnaire about asthma applied to teachers of elementary school of Monterrey, Mexico].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  asthma is one of the most common chronic childhood diseases; is increasing in prevalence and an important cause of school absenteeism. Previous studies have failed to evaluate knowledge about asthma among elementary school teachers worldwide because of the lack of validated questionnaires.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  to validate a questionnaire about asthma knowledge for elementary school teachers in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon.
  
  
  METHODS
  an observational, cross sectional, descriptive study, from February to December 2004, by applying a questionnaire to a group of elementary school teachers in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. The questionnaire is a translation and adaptation to the questionnaire of 13 questions used to assess the knowledge about asthma among parents, according to the National Asthma Education Program of US.
  
  
  RESULTS
  a total of 179 questionnaires were applied, in which 6 of the 13 questions were answered correctly by more than 90% of the teachers. The internal consistency reliability was adequate with a Cronbach a coefficient of 0.75.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  in order to obtain reliable data using questionnaires, these must undergo a validation process. Our questionnaire got validation because of the reliability shown according to the internal consistency analysis.
authors.affiliation: Centro Regional deAlergia e Inmunología Cliníca, Hospital Universitario José Eleuterio González, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León, Monterrey, Nuevo León, México. sgonzalezdiaz@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Sandra Nora
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: González Diaz
authors.forename: Alfredo Arias
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Cruz
authors.forename: Arya Yannel
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: González González
authors.forename: José Alfredo
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Félix Berumen
authors.forename: Alejandra Macías
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Weinmann
mesh_terms: D001249:Asthma; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005178:Faculty; D008800:Mexico; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires