RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF THE APGAR FAMILY SCALE IN FAMILY MEDICINE CLINICS IN HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM

Introduction: This study examined the APGAR family scale’s reliability and validity in family medicine clinics in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Methods: The scale was independently translated by a family physician and an English instructor, followed by consensus and pilot testing with 51 participants for clarity and understanding. A cross-sectional study involving 289 participants at family medicine clinics in Ho Chi Minh City was then conducted. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's Alpha (alpha). Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) with Principal Component Analysis (PCA) explored unidimensionality, and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) tested the one-factor model. Results: The APGAR family scale demonstrated good internal reliability (alpha = 0.81). Item-total correlations for each item ranged from 0.56 to 0.71, with Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients if the item was deleted ranging from 0.77 to 0.81. EFA revealed a single factor structure (Eigenvalue = 2.96), accounting for 49% of the total variance, with factor loadings between 0.62 and 0.80. CFA results showed good fit indices: Comparative Fit Index (0.95), Tucker-Lewis Index (0.91), though Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) was 0.13 with a p-value for the hypothesis test (H₀: RMSEA ≥ 0.080) being ≥ 0.05. Conclusions: The APGAR family scale is a reliable and valid measure for assessing family functioning in this context, though the RMSEA value suggests room for model improvement.