Part 1:
1. Choose a paper describing the development or validation of a measure of relevance in health disparities research (please give the full citation and/or upload the paper if that's possible).
Development of a Word Recognition Instrument to Test Health Literacy in Dentistry: The REALD‐30 – A Brief Communication
https://ucsf.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1752-7325.2007.00021.x
2. What was the definition of the construct?
The Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Dentistry (REALD-30) is a word recognition test that evaluates participants’ ability to read from a list of dental terms and yields grade-range estimates of reading ability. REALD-30 indicate that adults with limited reading skills tend to know less about their disease or their treatment regimen, are less likely to engage in preventive services, and may be more limited in their ability to manage their disease
3. How did the authors provide evidence on the validity of the measure? Could you think of additional approaches to validating the measure?
The validity of the instrument was tested by analyzing the association of the REALD-30 scores with those of the REALM and the TOFHLA using the Pearson correlation. The correlations were 0.86 and 0.64 for REALM and TOFHLA, respectively, suggesting that REALD-30 has good convergent validity. REALD-30 was positively associated only with the quality of life related to oral health. The correlation was independent of educational achievement (P <0.05) and other covariates. Testing in different patient populations in this case has a limitation when applied to a group with high contact with the health system.
4. How did the authors provide evidence on the reliability of the measure? Could you think of additional approaches to evaluating the reliability of the measure?
The reliability was also determined by assessing whether the REALD-30 was associated with health outcomes at a statistically significant level. Words in REALD-30, like REALM, are presented in a unique way and not in any context of a sentence or paragraph and are not intended to determine understanding. A possible approach is to study a paragraph sentence with context.
5. Describe the implications of a lack of measurement validity or reliability for future research applications.
I think that only occupying independent words is complex to find good validity and reliability. I think that aspect should be improved since we compare our validity with a sometimes-questionable instrument such as REALM, and it would also help to test it in other populations or subgroups
Part 2:
1. Find a paper describing a health disparity (please give the full citation or, even better, upload the paper so everyone else can look at it too)
Friedman & Horn Socioeconomic Disparities in Electronic Cigarette Use and Transitions from Smoking
https://ucsf.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://doi.org/10.1093/ntr/nty120
2. Summarize the construct and measurement of the dimension of disparity (e.g., racial inequalities?, SES inequalities?) and the outcome measured (e.g., self-rated health).
The SES was measured through indicators of both education and income. A variable of binary education was used, which indicates whether a person has completed one or more years of university. Income measures are based on the previous year's income of each household as a percentage of the federal poverty level (FPL) for their state and number of household members
3. What is the evidence for the validity and reliability of the measures?
In this study, as in most publications, SES measures were used, focusing on variables at the individual level, such as income and education. They authors do not explicit comment on the validity and reliability.
4. What is the reference category used for the disparity measure (ie, who is the comparison group)? Why does this reference category make sense (or not) for this research question?
The comparison group was High income and college education. These reference categories make sense as we expect them to represent the one population with the best health outcomes.
5. How is the disparity quantified or measured? Is this an absolute or relative measure or are both provided? Describe which type of measure you would prefer for this research area, or, if both, why.
In this study, SES is quantified as an estimated absolute measure (Income) and relative (education). I think it is better to have both values because it helps to identify groups where we can apply this study, increasing the external validation of the publication.
Part 3:
1. Read someone else's response to part 1 above (identifying a construct) and comment, specifically noting whether you can see any additional implications of measurement quality for future research or whether you agree with those noted by your classmate.
In relation to the study The Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool (MDAT): The Creation, Validation, and Reliability of a tool to assess child development in rural African settings presented by Rachel Brim I am in general very much in agreement with your comments I believe that the reliability of the study it is useful since children will probably be evaluated several times during the course of their life. I also believe that tools like this help identify children with developmental delays that can help effectively use scarce resources and improve interventions. It would be interesting to see if this instrument is applicable in similar populations or for example urban versus rural.