In order to address HIV infection among college students, a comprehensive measure is needed that can be used with samples from culturally diverse populations. Therefore, this paper assessed the reliability and validity of an HIV/AIDS questionnaire that measures fours dimensions of HIV/AIDS awareness—factual knowledge, prejudice, personal risk, and misconceptions about HIV transmission, and will enable cross-cultural research. The International AIDS Questionnaire – Chinese Version (IAQ-C) was developed and validated by Davis, Tang, Chan, and Noel (1999) for use with a Chinese population. In this study, the validity and reliability of the International AIDS Questionnaire – English Version (IQA-E) was assessed on a sample of English-speaking college students from the United States (N=200) and Australia (N=74). The results of the CFA supported the four-factor model, and the normative data show patterns similar to previous research. The Bentler-Bonett Normed Fit Index (NFI) and the Bentler Comparative Fit Index (CFI), measures of the overall portion of explained variance, were above the recommended level of .90 (NFI=.92 and CFI=.95). The Bentler-Bonett Non-Normed Fit Index (NNFI), which adjusts for model complexity, was also high (NNFI= .94). The Standardized Root Mean Squared Residual (SRMR), which provides a measure of the discrepancy between the observed and model-implied covariances, also indicated a good fit of the model (SRMR=.066). The total IAQ-E had a high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=.88). The Cronbach's alphas for the sub-scales were .87 (myths), .81 (attitudes), .66 (personal risk), and .40 (facts). A 2-week test-retest reliability study on a sub-sample of 32 students revealed a Pearson product-moment correlation coefficient of .882 (p<.001). This instrument now provides a valid and reliable comprehensive measure of HIV/AIDS for use with English speaking and Cantonese speaking samples. Further research is currently being conducted on validating this questionnaire with other Asian samples and Spanish speaking samples.

Davis, C., Tang, C. S., Chan, S. F., & Noel, B. (1999). The development and validation of the international AIDS questionnaire Chinese version (IAQ-C). Educational and Psychological Measurement, 59(3), 481-491.