title: Reliability and validity of a Malay-version questionnaire assessing knowledge of breastfeeding.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is a need to identify the knowledge that mothers have about breastfeeding to help promote it. Therefore, it is important to develop a valid and reliable questionnaire to provide useful and comparable data about breastfeeding knowledge. The objectives of this study were to determine the reliability and validity of a Malay version of a questionnaire assessing breastfeeding knowledge and describe the breastfeeding knowledge level among respondents.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study was conducted from 1 January to 31 May 2008 among female staff working at the Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus. A self-administered questionnaire containing 53 items assessing breastfeeding knowledge was given to respondents. The questions were adapted and modified from a breastfeeding questionnaire developed by a team of Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia paediatric nurses. Exploratory factor analysis, internal consistency reliability, and descriptive analysis of respondents' knowledge were conducted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 252 female staff participated in the study. Factor analysis constructed 10 domains of knowledge and excluded 6 items, leaving 47 items in the final questionnaire. Cronbach's alpha of the final questionnaire was 0.77. Respondents' lowest knowledge was on the practical aspects of breastfeeding.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The questionnaire is reliable and valid to assess the breastfeeding knowledge of Malaysian women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia Health Campus, 16150 Kubang Kerian, Kelantan, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Tengku Alina
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Tengku Ismail
authors.forename: Zaharah
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sulaiman