French validation of the M-Back questionnaire: assessing clinicians' knowledge of metabolic syndrome in psychiatry

Abstract

CONTEXT: Physical health is generally poorer in patients with mental illness than in the general population. Cardiovascular diseases linked to metabolic syndrome are the principle issue encountered by these patients. The four-factor M-BACK questionnaire was developed in Australia to measure the barriers, attitudes, confidence and knowledge of health staff in relation to metabolic syndrome. The goal of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of the French translation of the M-Back questionnaire. METHODS: The French M-Back was completed online by 137 mental health professionals. Internal validity was assessed using Bayesian structural equation modelling, which is halfway between exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Concurrent validity was estimated by studying the relationship between the M-Back scores and several important socio-professional variables. RESULTS: The four-factor model showed good fit to the data. Two items had significant cross-loadings on other dimensions. Hypothesised relationships between M-back scores and socio-professional variables were confirmed. CONCLUSION: The French M-Back is a valid tool to measure the barriers, attitudes, confidence and knowledge of health staff in relation to metabolic syndrome and could be used to identify training needs in this domain among health professionals.