Developing a computer-assisted health knowledge quiz for preschool children.
The project evaluated the reliability of a computer-assisted health education knowledge quiz, a multiple-choice picture identification assessment tool for nutrition and health-related knowledge in preschool age children. Pearson's product moment correlation coefficients were computed to assess overall and componential stability between test/retest scores of 51 children (mean age 3.6 years) enrolled in a Head Start preschool center. Cronbach alpha coefficients were calculated to determine the internal consistency of the subscales. Overall reliability for the computer-assisted quiz was high at .82 (p < .01). For individual subscales, test/retest correlations were highest for Nutrition, Safety, and Environment (r = .56 to .81) and lower but still significant for Dental, Smoking, and Fitness (r = .37 to .48). Results suggest a computer-assisted knowledge quiz can provide a reliable tool to assess health education knowledge in young children. In addition, the computer-assisted test format is highly acceptable to preschool children and enables researchers to administer a more extensive test to young children with brief attention spans in a manner that engages their full cooperation and effort. In this respect it offers several advantages over traditional paper-and-pencil formats.
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Child Health Center, American Health Foundation, Valhalla, NY 10595, USA.
D'Agostino Ibanez
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Strobino
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Williams
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D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D018479:Early Intervention, Educational; D005006:Ethnicity; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007858:Learning; D009518:New York; D015203:Reproducibility of Results