Abstract: This study describes procedures for developing and exploring the content validity of a tool to audit playgrounds for play value and usability for diverse populations. Development of the tool included reviewing existing tools, creating an initial draft from evidence literature, followed by iterative rounds with an international, interdisciplinary expert panel (N=22). Panelists' comments and ratings of relevance and clarity supported refinements of items, content areas, scoring, instructions, and interpretations of the PVUA content. The preliminary tool consists of 203 items divided across 28 content areas and two domains. Future research should examine PVUA's reliability and construct validity using a diverse sample of playgrounds.
Morgenthaler et al. (2025) studied this question.