A questionnaire assessment of nutrition knowledge--validity and reliability issues.
OBJECTIVE
This study describes an evaluation of validity and reliability measures in a questionnaire designed to assess knowledge of applied nutrition in children participating in an after-school care dietary intervention programme being undertaken in an area of high social disadvantage.


METHODS
Three domains were assessed: Knowledge of Applied Nutrition (KN), Knowledge of Food Preparation (KP) and Perceived Confidence in Cooking Skills (PC). Four pilot studies were undertaken to determine item reliability, test-retest reliability, discrimination and difficulty indices, and content, cognitive and face validity.


METHODS
Primary schools in Dundee, Scotland and Newcastle upon Tyne, England.


METHODS
Ninety-eight children aged 11 years.


RESULTS
The final instrument comprised 36 questions (18 KN items, 9 KP items and 9 PC items) presented on four sides of paper, which could be self-completed in less than 15 minutes. Question formatting included open and closed structures (KP) and multiple choice (KN and PC) items. All knowledge questions could be answered correctly by 5 to 95% of the target population, with discrimination scores ranging from 0.06 to 0.83. Retest reliability scores were significant (KN 0.458, KP 0.577, PC 0.381, ) and internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha) of each component was also significant.


CONCLUSIONS
The test meets basic psychometric criteria for reliability and validity and forms a suitable instrument for measuring changes associated with intervention work aimed at improving food and dietary knowledge.
Anderson
A S
AS
Centre for Public Health Nutrition Research, Department of Medicine, Ninewells Medical School, University of Dundee, UK. a.s.anderson@dundee.ac.uk
Bell
A
A
Adamson
A
A
Moynihan
P
P
D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D003296:Cooking; D004739:England; D005511:Food Handling; D006801:Humans; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011203:Poverty; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires