Psychometric Testing: Self-Efficacy for Calorie Control and Exercise

Enhancing self-efficacy for calorie control and exercise is a crucial strategy for successful weight management. This study developed and psychometrically tested a 13-item quick checklist for assessing self-efficacy for calorie control and exercise (QCSE-CCE). A convenience sample of 425 adults between 18 and 69 years old completed the QCSE-CCE online. The principle axis factor analysis and a parallel analysis demonstrated a three-factor structure that accounts for 72.8% of the total variance. The confirmatory factor analysis indicated a good model fit (χ2/ df = 2.168, GFI = .913, AGFI = .873, RMR = .049, RMSEA = .073, CFI = .959). The predictive validity was adequate (.38 < r < .39, p < .000), with Cronbach’s alphas ranging from .87 to .91. The test-retest demonstrated good stability ( r = .69; p < .001). The QCSE-CCE is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing self-efficacy for calorie control and exercise for weight management purposes.

Music in Ukrainian ballet as a musicological problem: experience and perspectives of study

Purpose of the Article. The study of the source base on the issue of music in Ukrainian ballet to generalize the theoretical heritage and outline the prospects for further research on this issue. Methodology. The article is based on the analytical method of research, the method of systematization, and comparison. These methods allowed us to analyze the literature on the selected issues, to classify and compare its problem perspective. Scientific novelty. The scientific novelty is to compare the experience of studying the musical basis of ballet as an art problem in the traditional (experience) and innovative (perspective) sense with the obligatory parallel analysis of the choreographic component. Conclusions. Given the uneven coverage and study of musical and choreographic components of the ballet genre in scientific thought, it is appropriate for scientists to strive for a conscious in-depth study of those aspects of ballet that do not lie in the field of their specialization. Examples of works, where the ballet study as integrity, are the works of O. Afonina, O. Zavyalova, O. Karandeeva, D. Sharikov.

Only two subscales of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire are culturally relevant for people with chronic low back pain in Nigerian Igbo populations: a cross-cultural adaptation and validation study

Background Pain coping strategies are important in the chronicity of low back pain and the associated disability. However, their exact influence is unknown in many African contexts such as rural Nigeria due to lack of outcome instruments with which to measure them. This study aimed to cross-culturally adapt and psychometrically test the Coping Strategies Questionnaire (CSQ) in Igbo populations in Nigeria. Methods The CSQ was forward and back translated by clinical and non-clinical translators; evaluated by an expert review committee. The translated measure was piloted amongst twelve rural Nigerian dwellers with chronic low back pain (CLBP) using the think-aloud cognitive interviewing style. Internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha), test–retest reliability (intra-class correlation coefficient—ICC and Bland–Altman plot), and minimal detectable change were examined amongst 50 people with CLBP in rural and urban Nigerian populations. Construct validity was determined by assessing the correlations between the adapted CSQ and measures of disability, pain intensity, fear avoidance beliefs, and illness perceptions using Spearman’s correlation analyses with 200 adults with CLBP in rural Nigeria. Exploratory factor analyses using Kaiser criterion (eigenvalue) and parallel analysis as methods for determining dimensionality were conducted with the same sample. Results Fourteen out of 42 items were routinely adopted in this population including all items of catastrophising subscale, and all but one item of praying and hoping subscale. Catastrophising and praying and hoping subscales had the highest Cronbach’s alpha. All subscales had high ICCs with Bland–Altman plots that showed good agreement. All coping strategies were positively correlated with self-reported disability and pain intensity with catastrophising subscale having the highest values. Seven-factor and three-factor structures were produced with the Kaiser criterion and parallel analysis, with different items from the original CSQ, except for catastrophising. Conclusions Catastrophising and praying and hoping may be the relevant coping strategies in this population. More culturally relevant measures of pain coping strategies that include adaptive coping strategies may need to be developed for African contexts such as rural Nigeria.

COVID-Q: validation of the first COVID-19 questionnaire based on patient-rated symptom gravity

Objectives The aim of the present study was to develop and validate the CoronaVirus Disease 2019 (COVID19) Questionnaire (COVIDQ), a novel symptom questionnaire specific for COVID19 patients, to provide a comprehensive evaluation which may be helpful for physicians. A secondary goal of the present study was to evaluate the performance of the COVIDQ in identifying subjects at higher risk of being tested positive for COVID19. Material and methods Consecutive not hospitalized adults who underwent nasopharyngeal and throat swab for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARSCoV2) detection at Treviso Hospital in March 2020, were enrolled. Subjects were divided into positive (cases) and negative (controls) in equal number. All of them gave consent and answered the COVIDQ. Patients not able to answer the COVIDQ due to clinical conditions were excluded. Parallel Analysis and Principal Component Analysis were used to identify clusters of items measuring the same dimension. The Item Response Theory (IRT) based analyses evaluated the functioning of item categories, the presence of clusters of local dependence among items, item fit within the model and model fit to the data. Results Answers obtained from 230 COVID19 cases (113 males, and 117 females; mean age 55 years, range 20 to 99 years) and 230 controls (61 males, and 169 females; mean age 46 years, range 21 to 89) were analyzed. Parallel analysis led to the extraction of six components, which corresponded to as many clinical presentation patterns: asthenia, influenza symptoms, ear and nose symptoms, breathing issues, throat symptoms, and anosmia/ageusia. The final IRT models retained 27 items as significant for symptom assessment. The total score on the questionnaire was significantly associated with positivity to the molecular SARSCoV2 test: subjects with multiple symptoms were significantly more likely to be affected by COVID19 (p < .001). Older age and male gender also represented risk factors. Presence of breathing issues and anosmia/ageusia were significantly related to positivity to SARSCoV2 (p < 0.001). None of the examined comorbidities had a significant association with COVID19 diagnosis. Conclusion According to the analyses, COVIDQ could be validated since the aspects it evaluated were overall significantly related to SARSCoV2 infection. The application of the novel COVIDQ to everyday clinical practice may help identifying subjects who are likely to be affected by COVID19 and address them to a nasopharyngeal swab in order to achieve an early diagnosis.

Parallels in Development of Modern Painting and Enameling in China

This paper highlights trends in the development of contemporary visual art in China through a parallel analysis of two of its components: painting and enamel art. The focus of the research is on the work of artists whose works combine a ‘western’ style with ‘eastern’ tradition. It was found that in the 21st century, the layer of Chinese cultural heritage was successfully transformed into new forms of expression, such as art objects, enamel sculptures, brightly colored paintings and more. At the same time, it has preserved the symbolism of color, plasticity of lines, narrative and figurative components, which is typical of the centuries-old traditions of the Celestial Empire. Artistic analysis was carried out on specific pictorial and enamel examples, distinguishing common and distinctive features in the concepts of the artists and their embodiment in the material. The way in which contemporary art enters the urban space of megacities and the interior of public institutions was analyzed. In conclusion, it is emphasized that the combination of ‘traditional’ and ‘recent’ trends in one work help to rethink the role of classical images in today’s art, as well as to identify Chinese artists in the globalized intercultural space.