The development and validation of the Healthy Computing Questionnaire for Children (HCQC)

Abstract

BACKGROUND: School children may be at risk of physical health problems associated with desktop, laptop and tablet computer use. There are some interventions designed to educate children about ergonomic practices when using computers. A common limitation of past intervention studies has been the lack of a valid and reliable questionnaire to determine effectiveness of the intervention. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to develop a valid and reliable self-report measure to assess primary school children’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviours related to healthy computer use. METHODS: A mixed methods approach was used to develop the questionnaire and test its psychometric properties. A convenience sample of 440 primary school children in Year 5 (aged 9–11 years) was used in the development and validation of the questionnaire. RESULTS: The final questionnaire comprised 56 items across the three subscales of knowledge, attitudes and behaviour. The questionnaire was shown to have good content validity and adequate test-retest reliability. Internal consistency was adequate for the attitude items, but low for the knowledge items. CONCLUSIONS: This study produced a valid and reliable tool, using a health promotion framework, for measuring primary school children’s knowledge, attitudes and behaviours related to healthy computing.