141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

280438
Measurement equivalence of short inventory of problems-revised across drug abusing adult outpatient racial groups

Monday, November 4, 2013 : 12:50 PM - 1:10 PM

Frank Dillon, PhD , Center for Research on U.S. Latino HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse (CRUSADA), Florida International University, Miami, FL
Karen Fortuna, MSW , Center for Research on U.S. Latino HIV/AIDS and Drug Abuse, Florida International University, Miami, FL
The use of measures with different conceptual meanings across racial/ethnic groups may render treatment outcome analyses invalid. Conclusions drawn from invalid findings may lead to ineffective treatments and health policy initiatives, potentially worsening health disparities between racial and ethnic groups. In particular, analyses of the effectiveness of drug abuse treatments across racial/ethnic groups should ensure that outcome measures have the same conceptual meaning across groups so that disparities in treatment utilization and outcomes can be addressed. Different racial/ethnic groups may respond to item content of commonly used outcome measures in dissimilar ways due to (a) cultural differences across participants in norms and relevance of the constructs being assessed, (b) language of the measure, or (c) potential differences in participants' environments and opportunity structures to engage in certain behaviors or develop beliefs. Yet, few studies have reported measurement equivalence properties of widely used outcome measures across racial/ethnic groups.

This presentation will discuss measurement equivalence analyses to determine whether African American and non-Latino White adult drug abuse outpatient participants, who participated in a randomized clinical trial investigating Motivational Enhancement Therapy in the National Institute on Drug Abuse Clinical Trials Network, share a common understanding of the constructs measured by a widely-used drug abuse treatment outcome measure of adverse consequences of drug use: the Short Inventory of Problems – Revised.

By the end of this presentation, participants will understand the utility and application of measurement equivalence analyses. This knowledge will support valid research and help address health disparities across racial/ethnic groups.

Learning Areas:
Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Diversity and culture
Other professions or practice related to public health
Public health or related research
Social and behavioral sciences

Learning Objectives:
Describe the utility and application of measurement equivalence analyses.

Keywords: Health Disparities, Statistics

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been a co-investigator and statistician of multiple federally funded grants concerning (1) drug abuse treatment for Latino and African American youth and their families; and (2) social and cultural determinants of drug abuse and HIV risk among Latinos in the United States. I have co-authored several papers examining measurement invariance of instruments between and within racial and ethnic groups.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.