Women's reproductive health needs assessment questionnaire: development and validation.

BACKGROUND: Assessment of reproductive health (RH) needs is necessary for describing the status of women's RH and identification of the actions needed. This study aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire for the assessment of the women's RH needs. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A sequential exploratory mixed method study (qualitative and quantitative) was conducted with Iranian women of reproductive age (age 15-49 years) living in Rasht. The qualitative exploratory phase was used to explain the concept and dimensions of RH needs. The qualitative exploratory phase was used to develop and validate a questionnaire. RESULTS: The results of the qualitative section, RH needs consists of two themes "Reproductive Health Education Needs" and "Reproductive Health Services Features". A Women's Reproductive Health Needs Assessment Questionnaire (WRHNAQ) was designed with 19 items. The content validity ratio (CVR) and content validity index (CVI) of the questionnaire were 0.89 and 0.93, respectively. The instrument's internal consistency was confirmed by an alpha coefficient of 0.881. CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that the WRHNAQ is a culturally sensitive, valid and reliable scale for assessing the RH needs. The WRHNAQ will be helpful for identifying needs and need-based intervention.