8274783 Adaptation and content validity of a battery of questionnaires for identifying occupational conditions among chilean artisanal and small-scale miners

<h3>Objective</h3> This study aimed to adapt and validate the content of a set of questionnaires developed to identify occupational conditions affecting artisanal and small-scale miners in Chile. Given the precarious and informal nature of this sector, existing assessment tools are often unsuitable. The goal was to design appropriate instruments to support occupational health monitoring and inform inclusive public health interventions. <h3>Material and Methods</h3> A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in three phases. First, we reviewed national and international occupational health protocols related to mining. Second, we developed eight questionnaires covering key occupational conditions such as exposure to silica, ultraviolet radiation, noise, diesel exhaust, pesticides, biological hazards, and musculoskeletal strain. Third, a formal expert judgment process was conducted with 25 professionals from occupational health, epidemiology, psychometrics, statistics, and mining, who evaluated 165 items based on clarity, relevance, sufficiency, and coherence. Each criterion was rated on a four-point Likert scale. We calculated item-level and overall content validity indices and applied Aiken’s method, with a threshold of 0.80 for acceptance. <h3>Results</h3> Overall, 87% of items met or exceeded the threshold across all four criteria. The average Aiken’s values ranged from 0.77 to 0.98. The diesel exposure module achieved the highest average content validity scores (all criteria &gt;0.90), while the employment conditions module scored lowest in clarity (0.77), prompting revision of 26% of its items. A total of 25 items (15%) were removed and 65 items (39%) were modified. A new chemical exposure questionnaire was created by integrating items from pesticide and diesel modules. Expert feedback ensured contextual and linguistic adequacy, particularly for low-literacy populations. <h3>Conclusion</h3> This battery is the first validated tool specifically designed for Chilean artisanal mining settings. It is intended to support participatory occupational health diagnosis. Field testing is planned to confirm reliability.