Development of the scale for the assessment of mothers’ readiness for the transition to complementary feeding, its validity and reliability study

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to develop the “Scale for the Assessment of Mothers’ Readiness for the Transition to Complementary Feeding” and to examine its psychometric properties. Methods: This methodological and cross-sectional study was conducted with 200 mothers of infants aged 4–6 months between March 2023 and October 2023. Content validity was assessed through expert evaluation. Construct validity was examined using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Reliability was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha, McDonald’s omega, composite reliability, and intraclass correlation coefficient. Results: The final scale consisted of 10 items with a unidimensional structure. Internal consistency was good (α=0.827; ω=0.828; CR=0.85). The average variance extracted was below the recommended threshold (AVE=0.38). Test–retest reliability indicated good temporal stability (ICC=0.87, 95% CI [0.77–0.93]). Conclusion: The scale demonstrated satisfactory reliability and construct validity and may serve as a useful tool for assessing mothers’ readiness for the transition to complementary feeding. However, further studies are needed to evaluate convergent and discriminant validity and to confirm its applicability across different populations.