Measuring Parental Attitudes in Four Thai Provinces: Adaptation and Validation of the Parental Attitudes Towards Their Child's Outdoor Recreation (PACOR) Questionnaire

Abstract

Background: Parental attitudes toward children's outdoor recreation are vital for holistic child development. This study aimed to translate and validate the Parental Attitudes Towards Their Child's Outdoor Recreation (PACOR) questionnaire in Thai among parents of preschoolers. Methods: The PACOR was translated into Thai through forward and back-translation, then culturally adapted for Thai parents. A final Thai-PACOR was formed by an expert committee. Content validity was assessed using Item-Objective Congruence values while internal consistency and test-retest reliability were evaluated. Construct validity was determined via factor analysis and comparison of parental attitudes based on children's sex. Results: The Thai-PACOR demonstrated robust psychometric properties, with a Cronbach's a coefficient of 0.80. Importantly, the removal of Items 2 and 10 increased the a coefficient to 0.84, thereby enhancing the internal consistency within the Thai context. The intraclass correlation coefficient analysis revealed a reliability coefficient of 0.91, indicating high consistency in assessing parents' attitudes toward their child's outdoor recreation over time. Using exploratory factor analysis, the Thai-PACOR established construct validity by characterizing two factors: parental positive and negative attitudes toward outdoor recreation. Conclusions: This study enhances our grasp of parental attitudes towards children's outdoor activities in Thailand. The adapted Thai-PACOR proves reliable and valid for assessing such attitudes. However, limitations, such as demographic insights and item rationale exploration, suggest careful interpretation. Future research should delve into these aspects to better comprehend cultural impacts on parental attitudes toward outdoor recreation in Thailand.