Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Revised Brief Diabetes Knowledge Test (DKT2) in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Their Caregivers

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to develop an Italian version of the Revised Brief Diabetes Knowledge Test (DKT2), providing a cultural and linguistic validation supported by psychometrics and hypotheses testing. Methods: This multimethods study was divided into 4 phases: (a) cultural-linguistic validation, with a translation and back-translation process; (b) confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) considering the original scale’s structure (knowledge and insulin-specific knowledge); (c) criterion validity via hypotheses testing; and (d) cross-group measurement invariance. The internal consistency reliability was assessed by the Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 (KR-20) of the overall scale. Results: A total of 251 patients and 251 caregivers were enrolled. The CFA showed good goodness of fit for both patients and caregivers. The tested hypotheses supported criterion validity in both groups. Reliability was adequate: All KR-20 values in both groups and domains were higher than 0.60. The mean percentage of knowledge score on DKT2 was lower for patients than caregivers. Conclusion: The DKT2 is a valid and reliable scale to assess overall knowledge of diabetes, considering its role in promoting appropriate self-care behaviors in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. The Italian version of DKT2 demonstrated reliability and validity, and it can be used by researchers and diabetes care and education specialists to assess a patient’s or population’s overall knowledge of diabetes.