| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2021 | Volume
: 42
| Issue : 4 | Page : 151-155 |
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Swasthya Assessment Scale (SAS)-Ayurveda based health assessment tool-insights on its development and validation
Jaiprakash Bholanath Ram1, Babita Yadav1, V Ashwathykutty1, Sophia Jameela1, Azeem Ahmad1, Saket Ram Thrigulla1, Sakshi Sharma2, Rakesh K Rana1, Richa Singhal1, Bhogavalli Chandrasekhara Rao1, N Srikanth1, KS Dhiman1
1 Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, New Delhi, India
2 CARI, New Delhi, India
Correspondence Address:
V Ashwathykutty
Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences, Jawahar Lal Nehru Bhartiya Chikitsa Avum Homeopathy Anusandhan Bhavan, No. 61–65, Institutional Area, Opposite “D” Block, Janakpuri, New Delhi - 110 058
India
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/ayu.ayu_40_21
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Introduction: Ayurveda has a unique way of understanding the body, health, and diseases. Various determinants, including biological, ecological, medical, psychological, sociocultural, spiritual, and metaphysical factors, which depend on each other, have their role in determining health in Ayurveda. Currently, no validated health assessment scale, based on the principles of Ayurveda is available. This article, for the first time, reports the development, validation, and reliability testing of the Swasthya assessment scale - a health assessment tool developed in Ayurveda. Materials and methods: A thorough literature search and expert consultations were done to draft the items encompassing the concept of health in Ayurveda. A group of experts assessed the content validity of the drafted items. Cognitive de-briefing and pretesting were performed to modify the language and the content again. Reliability testing was done with an inter-observer agreement in a sample of 183 individuals. Results: The content validity index for items and the scale-level content validity index (S-CVI) were calculated. S-CVI for scale was excellent, with 85% agreement. The S-CVI/universal agreement was 0.45, and S-CVI/Average was 0.95. In inter-rater reliability, the percentage agreement was 73.7%. Pearson correlation coefficient was 0.808 showing a strong correlation. Conclusion: Following appropriate validation, the scale can be widely used in clinical practice to assess the patient's health status, guide the treatment plans, and monitor the progress of the health. It can also be used as a sensitive tool in the research of Ayurveda to assess the changes in patients brought about by Ayurveda interventions.
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