The Amharic version Infant-Toddler Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (IT-HOME) tool validation

A child's future development is greatly influenced by their home environment. This includes their cognitive, social, and emotional growth. However, a culturally validated and reliable tool to measure home environment in Ethiopia is still missing. This study aims to validate the IT-HOME instrument for infants and toddlers from birth to 3 years. It guarantees the instrument fits the culture and has good psychometric quality. Experts subjected a total of 45 items to review and content validity analysis. We administered a final 43 items and collected data from 458 participants. The researcher split the data in half and subjected it to EFA and CFA. Validity, reliability, and measurement invariance were computed. The finding showed that six sub-constructs were identified. There are 22 items, with 3 to 5 items in each subscale. The tool is valid, reliable, and culturally appropriate to measure home environments. It also functions effectively for both male and female infants and toddlers. The validated tool shows how effectively the tool evaluates the home environments of infants and toddlers. It gives practitioners and researchers a dependable way to spot risky environments and tailor interventions.