Evaluation of Informed Choice for contraceptive methods among women attending a family planning program: conceptual development; a case study in Chile

Abstract Objective To generate and validate a scale to measure the Informed Choice of contraceptive methods among women attending a family health care service in Chile. Study Design and Setting The study follows a multimethod design that combined expert opinions from 13 physicians, 3 focus groups of 21 women each, and a sample survey of 1,446 women. Data analysis consisted of a qualitative text analysis of group interviews, a factor analysis for construct validity, and kappa statistic and Cronbach alpha to assess scale reliability. Results The instrument comprises 25 items grouped into six categories: information and orientation, quality of treatment, communication, participation in decision making, expression of reproductive rights, and method access and availability. Internal consistency measured with Cronbach alpha ranged from 0.75 to 0.89 for all subscales (kappa, 0.62; standard deviation, 0.06), and construct validity was demonstrated from the testing of several hypotheses. Conclusions The use of mixed methods contributed to developing a scale of Informed Choice that was culturally appropriate for assessing the women who participated in the family planning program.