Development of a Cannabis Knowledge Assessment Tool (CKAT)
A team of researchers from the University of Saskatchewan has developed a Cannabis Knowledge Assessment Tool (CKAT) to measure knowledge about cannabis in the context of cannabis legalisation. The CKAT was developed using the Delphi method, with a purposive sample of health professionals, policy makers, academics, patients and students serving as content and development experts.
Principal component analysis identified 3 domains:
- Effects of cannabis on the individual
- General information about cannabis
- Cannabis harm reduction
The final questionnaire consisted of 16 multiple true/false questions (64 items) and received a Flesch-Kincaid grade level of 6.3 and a SMOG index score of 7.6. The CKAT was completed by 132 students; seventy-three 7th graders and fifty-nine 9th graders. The mean CKAT score at baseline was 46.2 (SD:5.5), which increased to 50.7 (SD:4.6) after the cannabis education programme (p<0.05).
In conclusion, a novel tool to measure cannabis knowledge was developed and piloted with 7th and 9th grade students. Future studies are needed to test the usability and validity of the CKAT in other contexts.