Abstract
BACKGROUND: Leprosy persists as a social and health issue in India, requiring validated tools to evaluate perspectives on stigma, knowledge, and needs. This study developed and validated a questionnaire with domains: sociodemographics, living conditions, health status and practices, knowledge about leprosy, and felt needs and priorities. METHODS: Cross-sectional validation with 138 participants from Antulay Nagar, Pune, January-June 2024. Content validity via expert panel (I-CVI, S-CVI/Ave). Construct validity using EFA (KMO = 0.82, Bartlett's χ² = 1265.4, P < 0.001). Reliability with Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: I-CVI 0.75-1.00, S-CVI/Ave 0.90; three items revised. Five factors emerged with loadings >0.60. Cronbach's alpha 0.79-0.88. CONCLUSION: The questionnaire is valid and reliable for assessing social perspectives in leprosy settings.