UCL Discovery
UCL home » Library Services » Electronic resources » UCL Discovery

Validation of the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy among pregnant Australian women

Lang, AY; Hall, JA; Boyle, JA; Harrison, CL; Teede, H; Moran, LJ; Barrett, G; (2019) Validation of the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy among pregnant Australian women. PLoS One , 14 (8) , Article e0220774. 10.1371/journal.pone.0220774. Green open access

[thumbnail of Barrett_Validation of the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy among pregnant Australian women_VoR.pdf]
Preview
Text
Barrett_Validation of the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy among pregnant Australian women_VoR.pdf - Published Version

Download (1MB) | Preview

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Globally, over half of pregnancies in developed countries are unplanned. Identifying and understanding the prevalence and complexity surrounding pregnancy preparation among Australian women is vital to enable sensitive, responsive approaches to addressing preconception and long-term health improvements for these women with varying motivation levels. AIM: This study evaluated the reliability and validity of a comprehensive pregnancy planning/intention measure (London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy) in a population of pregnant women (over 18 years of age) in Australia. METHODS: A psychometric evaluation, within a cross-sectional study comprising cognitive interviews (to assess comprehension and acceptability) and a field test. Pregnant women aged over 18 years were recruited in early pregnancy (approximately 12 weeks' gestation). Reliability (internal consistency) was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, corrected item-total correlations and inter-item correlations, and stability via a test-retest. Construct validity was assessed using principal components analysis and hypothesis testing. RESULTS: Six women participated in cognitive interviews and 317 in the field test. The London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy was acceptable and well comprehended. Reliability testing demonstrated good internal consistency (alpha = 0.81, all corrected item-total correlations >0.20, all inter-item correlations positive) and excellent stability (weighted kappa = 0.92). Validity testing confirmed the unidimensional structure of the measure and all hypotheses were confirmed. CONCLUSIONS: The London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy is a valid and reliable measure of pregnancy planning/intention for the Australian population. Implementation of this measure into all maternity healthcare, research and policy settings will provide accurate population-level pregnancy planning estimates to inform, monitor and evaluate interventions to improve preconception health in Australia.

Type: Article
Title: Validation of the London Measure of Unplanned Pregnancy among pregnant Australian women
Location: United States
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0220774
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0220774
Language: English
Additional information: © 2019 Lang et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Keywords: Pregnancy, Australia, Health care policy, Behavior, Questionnaires, Behavioral and social aspects of health, Psychometrics, Research validity
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL EGA Institute for Womens Health
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Population Health Sciences > UCL EGA Institute for Womens Health > Reproductive Health
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10080135
Downloads since deposit
64Downloads
Download activity - last month
Download activity - last 12 months
Downloads by country - last 12 months

Archive Staff Only

View Item View Item