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Validity and Reliability of a Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire for Adolescents
Author(s) -
Ruiz Lyndsey D,
Jones Anna M,
Scherr Rachel E
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.957.3
Subject(s) - cronbach's alpha , construct validity , internal consistency , medicine , nutrition education , test (biology) , clinical psychology , intervention (counseling) , population , psychology , reliability (semiconductor) , gerontology , psychometrics , environmental health , psychiatry , paleontology , power (physics) , physics , quantum mechanics , biology
The objective of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of a nutrition knowledge questionnaire for an adolescent population. The primary purpose of evaluating the questionnaire in this adolescent group was to determine if the tool would be a valid and reliable measure of nutrition knowledge in a subsequent nutrition intervention. The original questionnaire was evaluated for use in Californian adults and contained four sections, of which two were determined to be most relevant for the subsequent study: advice about nutrition from experts and nutrients in foods. These sections were administered unmodified to a convenience sample of high school students divided into two groups. The first group consisted of ninth grade students (n=33) with no prior nutrition education who completed the questionnaire during their health class period. The second group, consisting of tenth grade students (n=37) who had previously received nutrition education, completed the questionnaire during the lunch period. Students self‐reported their current age on the questionnaire. Data were used to assess construct validity, internal consistency, item discrimination, and item difficulty. Questions were eliminated based on predefined criteria, unless determined directly relevant to the subsequent intervention. An initial assessment of internal consistency resulted in a Cronbach's alpha = 0.75. However, a two‐tailed t‐test with the unmodified questionnaire demonstrated no significant difference in mean percent correct between grade groups (p>0.28). An item‐total correlation test was conducted and questions scoring less than 0.2, indicating low item discrimination, were identified. Questions that either group scored less than ten percent or greater than eighty percent correct were also identified. Of the 50 original questions, 16 were eliminated. After elimination of questions, a two‐tailed t‐test showed a statistically significant difference in mean percent correct between grade groups (p<0.05). The questionnaire had adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.70) after elimination of questions. These results suggest that the modified questionnaire is valid and reliable for measuring nutrition knowledge in 13–16 year old adolescents. Support or Funding Information Supported by UCANR #15‐3723.