Development of a Symbol Cancellation Test to Evaluate Attention in a School-aged Zambian Population.

Abstract

Objective: The assessment of child cognitive health in Sub-Saharan developing countries poses significant challenges, including the paucity of valid diagnostic tools. We report the development and the initial validation of the Zambia Symbol Cancellation Test (ZSCT), a psychometric test to evaluate selective attention in a pediatric, school-aged population. Design: ZSCT reliability and validity were assessed in a field trial. A total of 409 children, aged 5 to 17 years, were recruited at multiple Zambian clinical sites and schools. The ZSCT provides a visuomotor processing index (VMPI), a measure of effortful processing to deliver accurate task response. Results: =0.364). Conclusion: Study findings indicate that the ZSCT has satisfactory reliability, validity, and clinical utility to evaluate cognitive development and the effect of health conditions on attention. Study results warrant further research to validate its use in healthcare and clinical research settings.

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