Currently submitted to: Online Journal of Public Health Informatics
Date Submitted: Sep 3, 2026
Open Peer Review Period: Sep 15, 2026 - Nov 10, 2026
(currently open for review)
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Development and Preliminary Validation of a Scale to Assess Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Awareness among Women of Reproductive Age
ABSTRACT
Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is a complex, multi-systemic endocrine disorder, with various reproductive, metabolic, psychological and long-term health implications, and may not be fully recognised by women. This study aimed to create and obtain preliminary validity evidence for the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Awareness Scale (PCOS-AS) for women of reproductive age. A cross-sectional quantitative study was done with 218 women aged 18-45 years in Punjab, India. Scale development consisted of literature review, an initial 34-item pool, expert content evaluation, pilot testing, item refinement, and field testing. The final scale consisted of 17 items that were evaluated by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) with Varimax rotation and Cronbach's alpha. The Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin value was 0.907, and Bartlett’s Test of Sphericity was significant (χ² = 1705.916, df = 136, p < .001). Three components have eigenvalues greater than 1.00 that account for 58.102% of the total variance. The items loaded on the factors were: General Awareness (factor loadings from 0.510 to 0.776), Clinical Management (factor loadings from 0.635 to 0.689), and Biological Basis (factor loading from 0.527 to 0.777). Cronbach’s alpha values were 0.841, 0.864, and 0.664, respectively. The findings offer preliminary proof of the utility and reliability of the PCOS-AS to measure awareness of PCOS. This scale could be beneficial in assessing awareness of PCOS and assessing the effectiveness of health-education programmes for women of reproductive age.
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