Can NCAST and HOME Assessment Scales be used with Hmong refugees?

This descriptive study of a convenience sample of 32 recently settled, preliterate Hmong families tested the applicability of the NCAST and HOME assessment tools in the Hmong refugee population. The sample means on the Nursing Child Assessment Feeding Scale (NCAFS), Nursing Child Assessment Teaching Scale (NCATS), and the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) were compared to a randomly selected sample of white (n = 60), African American (n = 60), and Hispanic (n = 60) families from the University of Washington NCAST (Nursing Child Assessment Satellite Training) normative data bank. The NCAFS and NCATS Hmong total means were not significantly different when compared to the combined normative sample total means. However, when the ethnic groups were compared using ANCOVA with ethnicity and education as covariates, the parent, child, and scale total means were found to be significantly different (p < .05). Hmong HOME total means were significantly lower when compared to the combined normative sample (p < .05) and with separate ethnic group comparisons (p < .05). Although lower for this population lacking formal education, scores were not significantly different when compared to the combined normative sample means. Findings suggest that the NCAST tools should be used with respect for the impact of ethnicity and education on total scores. Findings do not support the use of the HOME scale with this population except as a teaching guide.