La peur de l’avion peut être source de grande souffrance chez les passagers anxieux qui représentent 10 à 40% de la population. Dans certains cas, elle peut aboutir au développement d’une phobie de l’avion. Peu d’études ont permis de développer des outils de mesure évaluant l’anxiété liée au vol en avion; et encore moins, ont cherché à mettre en évidence les comportements anxieux lors de vol en avion. L’objectif de ce travail était de valider des outils d’évaluation de l’anxiété de vol en français, et d’améliorer la compréhension de la dimension comportementale de ce trouble. Cinq études ont été menées. La première propose la traduction et la validation de deux questionnaires évaluant l’anxiété de vol : le Flight Anxiety Situation questionnaire (FAS) et le Flight Anxiety Modality questionnaire (FAM). Les résultats démontrent de bonnes qualités psychométriques des deux questionnaires dans leur version française. Les quatre autres études visaient à construire un questionnaire d’évaluation des comportements anxieux autour du vol en avion et à mettre en évidence les comportements chez des patients phobiques de l’avion. Les résultats indiquaient une validité partiellement satisfaisante ; des comportements d’hyper-vigilance, d’anticipation, de consommation de substance, de recherche de soutien social, de recherche d’information et de contrôle, et des comportements de gestion pro-active centrée sur soi ont été mis en évidence. Parmi les individus phobiques de l’avion, les individus présentant un trouble agoraphobique ou un trouble d’anxiété généralisé adoptaient des comportements spécifiques. De futures études sont proposées pour poursuivre sa validation. / The literature suggests that fear of flying affects 10-40% of the population and can represent a significant source of anxiety for airline passengers. In some cases flying phobia can develop. Few studies have developed measures that adequately assess anxiety linked to flying; moreover, to our knowledge there is very little research on the behavioral manifestations linked to fear of flying. The research carried out for this thesis seeks to validate French translations of existing flying anxiety measures as well as develop tools for evaluating behavioral manifestations linked to fear of flying. Five studies has been conduct. The main objective of the first study was to translate and validate two existing flying anxiety scales: the Flight Anxiety Situation questionnaire (FAS) and the Flight Anxiety Modality questionnaire (FAM) created by Van Gerwen et al. (1999). The results demonstrated good psychometric validity for the French versions of these two questionnaires. The four other studies were orientated at the creation of a scale (Questionnaire des Comportements anxieux autour du Vol Aérien; QCVA) measuring behaviors associated with anxiety and flying and to evaluate the validity of such a measure. The results demonstrated partial validity; behaviors were clearly delineated into categories of hypervigilance, anticipation, substance consumption, social support seeking, information seeking/situational control, and proactive behaviors centered on the individual. Within the phobic group, those who also suffered from agoraphobia or generalized anxiety disorder furthermore adopted specific behavior. Additional studies are suggested to further explore the revealed factors.

No description available.

Problématique : Une évaluation économique, commandée par le ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux du Québec, vise à évaluer le rendement de deux programmes d'immunisation, soient la vaccination primaire et la vaccination antigrippale. Un des volets de cette étude économique nécessitera l'utilisation d'un questionnaire auto-administré auprès de personnes vaccinées contre l'influenza plusieurs semaines après leur vaccination. Objectif : Vérifier la fiabilité et la validité d'un questionnaire auto-administré sur l'efficacité populationnelle et les coûts assumés lors de la vaccination par les adultes vaccinés contre l'influenza. Cet outil sera utilisé pour une évaluation économique selon une perspective sociétale du programme d'immunisation contre l'influenza chez les adultes. Méthode : Un test-retest a été réalisé en soumettant le questionnaire à un échantillon de convenance de 499 personnes âgées de [supérieur ou égal à]50 ans de la Montérégie. Un premier questionnaire a été administré dans les CLSC en novembre 2004 (test) durant le temps d'attente après l'injection du vaccin. Le deuxième questionnaire a été envoyé 10 semaines plus tard par la poste aux participants en janvier 2005 (retest). Les variables testées sont de nature qualitative (variables sociodémographiques, statut vaccinal, lieu de vaccination, moyen de transport, absence du travail) ou quantitative (date et durée de la vaccination, distance parcourue, revenu annuel, coût du transport, autres coûts). La fiabilité a été évaluée par la comparaison des réponses déclarées entre les deux questionnaires alors que la validité de certaines variables a été évaluée par la comparaison entre les réponses fournies par les participants et des sources de référence. Les principaux tests statistiques utilisés sont: l'accord observé (P[indice inférieur omicron]), le kappa de Cohen ([kappa]) et le coefficient de corrélation intra-classe (CCI). Résultats : Le taux de participation a été de 95%. Les variables sociodémographiques obtiennent un P[indice inférieur omicron] entre les deux questionnaires variant de 82% à 98% et un [kappa] de 0,556 à 0,936. Les autres variables qualitatives affichent un P[indice inférieur omicron] de 89% à 100% mais un [kappa] variant de -0,007 à 0,862. Quant aux variables quantitatives transformées en catégorie, P[indice inférieur omicron] varie de 45% à 100% et [kappa] de 0,031 à 1,000. La divergence entre les indices de concordance [Kappa] et P[indice inférieur omicron] est attribuable aux paradoxes de kappa. Les variables de temps, soient la date de vaccination et la durée de vaccination, présentent une faible fiabilité avec respectivement un P[indice inférieur omicron] de 57% et 49% et un CCI de 0,305 et 0,690. Un grand nombre de réponses manquantes (38%) est constaté pour la variable date de vaccination. La validité des variables sélectionnées (statut vaccinal, lieu et date de vaccination, taille de la ville et moyen de transport) est jugée relativement bonne avec un P[indice inférieur omicron] variant de 58% à presque 100%. Conclusion : À l'exception des variables de temps, le questionnaire est assez fiable. La validité des variables évaluées est bonne. Le taux de participation et l'effectif élevés assurent une puissance statistique adéquate pour les analyses. La participation volontaire des sujets peut être une source de biais de sélection. La fiabilité et la validité étant étroitement liées, elles sont défavorablement influencées par le biais de mémoire. Celui-ci peut être engendré par le délai de réponses entre les deux questionnaires. Malgré tout, ce questionnaire pourra être utilisé dans l'étude économique après quelques modifications.

No description available.

STOP-Bang is a tool for predicting the likelihood for sleep-disordered breathing (SDB). In the conventional score, all variables are dichotomous. Our aim was to identify whether modifying the STOP-Bang scoring tool by weighting the variables could improve test characteristics.

The purpose of the studies presented was to develop and examine the psychometric properties of the Eating Habits Questionnaire (EHQ). The author designed the 21-item self-report inventory to assess cognitions, behaviors, and feelings related to an extreme focus on healthy eating as a preliminary step in researching an alleged syndrome that has been labeled "orthorexia nervosa", defined as a pathological fixation on healthy eating. Study 1 examined the factor structure of the EHQ and refined the instrument with exploratory factor analysis. A 3-factor solution was preferred, with subscales labeled: knowledge of healthy eating, problems associated with healthy eating, and feeling positively about healthy eating. In the Study 1 sample (n = 174) the subscales displayed good internal consistency (.87 to .91) and test-retest reliability (.74 to .87). Study 2 examined the fit of the 3-factor model in a new sample (n = 213) with confirmatory factor analysis. Poor initial fit became adequate after eliminating poorly fitting items. Internal consistency (.82 to .90) and test-retest reliability (.72 to .81) of the subscales remained good in the Study 2 sample. Examination of correlations between the EHQ subscales and a variety of other measures provided preliminary evidence for both convergent and discriminant validity in the Study 2 sample. As expected, the EHQ subscales correlated more highly with measures of eating related pathology than with measures of general pathology, personality characteristics, or social desirability.

The measurement of pain has had a growing importance in animals for both privately owned animals and those animals involved in clinical research. Lameness is considered to be 1 aspect of the pain experience. The ability of a veterinarian to assess lameness during a routine orthopedic examination can be difficult given the short amount of time in which the clinician can observe the animal, and the fact that the animal is in a stressful environment. Thus, the input of the owner concerning the animal's well-being over an extended time period may be extremely useful to the clinician in assessing the degree of lameness of the animal. It was the purpose of this study to establish an instrument that was both repeatable and valid in assessing the degree of lameness. The instrument used was a questionnaire containing 39 questions in a visual analog scale format. A force platform was used as the gold-standard for detecting mechanical lameness. Peak vertical, cranial-caudal, and their associated impulses were forces used to determine lameness, along with maximum slope in some cases. A test-retest measure of repeatability was conducted on a subset of 19 dogs that were confirmed to have less than a 10% change in vertical peak force. Nineteen of the 39 questions were found to be repeatable based on a Spearman rank correlation. These 19 questions were then used as predictor variables in several multiple regression models which predicted force plate measurements. The result was 3 different models each containing 7 independent variables that were thought to be valid representations of the forces measured (vertical peak, vertical impulse, and propulsion peak forces). Each reduced model was found to fit the data as well as the full model containing all 19 of the repeatable questions. The composite of 11 questions from the 3 different models was used to calculate a total score. This total score was found to be significantly correlated with force plate measurements. These 11 questions should be useful to a clinician in detecting the degree of lameness in the dog.

International disputes over access to water resources can act as a catalyst for conflict or cooperation amongst nations. In the case of Israel and the occupied West Bank, water conflict further exacerbates preexisting political tension, and yet a peaceful and equitable solution between these countries could spark further negotiation. Within this context, the Palestinian Hydrology Group conducted a water questionnaire amongst Palestinian households in the occupied West Bank in 2001. The aim of the PHG’s survey was to investigate which water management system would be the most suitable in terms of equity, cost-recovery, and long-term development of the resource. Ultimately the water pricing system that was recommended was an increasing block-tariff system, which prioritizes the delivery of necessary amounts of water used for basic needs amongst all users before further allocating water to other uses. However, most of the work conducted by the PHG was qualitative and based entirely on descriptive statistics. Analysis regarding the relationships between water pricing, water consumption, and water needs, and how these relationships change over different scales, was not present in the final report. The purpose of this thesis to continue the research conducted by the PHG by analyzing the water questionnaire database as a means to further advise and direct water services within the occupied West Bank. In order to discern relationships between seasonal patterns of water pricing and consumption, an in-depth analysis of that data was conducted. In addition, perceived water needs were also examined. This analysis was performed at a variety of scales, including amongst districts, average monthly income levels, and connection/non-connection to a water network. Results indicate that some districts in the occupied West Bank are comparatively under-serviced. The economically poor district of Jenin seems to be in greatest need of stabilized and equitable water resources, followed by Hebron, Nablus and Ramallah. It was also observed that those within lower income brackets bear a disproportionate share of pricing fluctuations and, not surprisingly, low consumption levels. Connection/non-connection to a water network indicates that not only is consumption amongst non-connected households significantly low, but also that the difference between perceived water needs and water consumption is much greater than amongst connected households. This thesis supports the PHG’s recommendation for an increasing block-tariff system, since regression analysis indicates inequitable distribution and pricing amongst districts and income levels.

The purpose of the studies presented was to develop and examine the psychometric properties of the Eating Habits Questionnaire (EHQ). The author designed the 21-item self-report inventory to assess cognitions, behaviors, and feelings related to an extreme focus on healthy eating as a preliminary step in researching an alleged syndrome that has been labeled "orthorexia nervosa", defined as a pathological fixation on healthy eating. Study 1 examined the factor structure of the EHQ and refined the instrument with exploratory factor analysis. A 3-factor solution was preferred, with subscales labeled: knowledge of healthy eating, problems associated with healthy eating, and feeling positively about healthy eating. In the Study 1 sample (n = 174) the subscales displayed good internal consistency (.87 to .91) and test-retest reliability (.74 to .87). Study 2 examined the fit of the 3-factor model in a new sample (n = 213) with confirmatory factor analysis. Poor initial fit became adequate after eliminating poorly fitting items. Internal consistency (.82 to .90) and test-retest reliability (.72 to .81) of the subscales remained good in the Study 2 sample. Examination of correlations between the EHQ subscales and a variety of other measures provided preliminary evidence for both convergent and discriminant validity in the Study 2 sample. As expected, the EHQ subscales correlated more highly with measures of eating related pathology than with measures of general pathology, personality characteristics, or social desirability.

The goal of this research was to develop and test a self-completed questionnaire for use in the routine assessment of work-related stress in a high-technology industrial organization. The initial phase of the study involved reviewing the existing literature to identify items and scales developed to assess workplace stress and strain. The initial item pool contained 92 items divided into 11 domains. Through a process of content validation using focus group discussions, the item pool was reduced to a 38-item questionnaire covering eight domains: demands, control, support, role, relationships, rewards, change, and communications. These 38 items, along with other items included to enable psychometric testing, were converted to a web-based questionnaire. The entire workforce of the organization was invited to complete this questionnaire as part of the pilot study phase.Data from the pilot study were used to test scaling assumptions, evaluate the factor structure, estimate internal consistency reliability, and examine criterion and construct validity of the 38-item Workplace Climate Questionnaire. The distribution of responses to questionnaire items tended to be skewed, with more respondents scoring among the more positive categories. With the exception of the role and relationships scales, no substantial floor and ceiling effects were seen for all the other scales. Each of the 38-item Workplace Climate Questionnaire scales exhibited satisfactory internal-consistency reliability estimates. Items within the demands, control, support, and role scales loaded on the hypothesized scales, while items within the relationships, change, and rewards failed to load on the hypothesized scales.The pilot study provided support for criterion validity of the 38-item Workplace Climate Questionnaire. As hypothesized, individual scales in the questionnaire correlated positively with similar constructs in existing occupational stress instruments. The pilot study also provided support for construct validity of the questionnaire. The demands, control, support, relationships, rewards, and change scales predicted the risk of poor self-reported mental health.Revisions to the 38-item questionnaire resulted in the 22-item Workplace Climate Questionnaire covering the following six domains: demands, control, role, rewards, support, and relationships. The 22-item questionnaire reduces respondent burden and retains satisfactory psychometric properties in terms of factor structure, reliability, criterion validity, and construct validity.