title: Validity and reliability of the Food-Life Questionnaire. Short form.
abstract: Measures of beliefs and attitudes towards food need to be valid, and easy to use and interpret. The present study aimed to establish the validity and reliability of a short-form of the Food-Life Questionnaire (FLQ). Participants (247 females; 118 males), recruited in South Australia, completed a questionnaire in 2012 incorporating the original FLQ, a revised short form (FLQ-SF), and measures of food choice and consumption. Validity (construct, criterion-related, and incremental) and reliability (internal consistency and short-form) were assessed. Factor analysis established that short-form items loaded onto five factors consistent with the original FLQ and explained 60% of variance. Moderate correlations were observed between the FLQ-SF and a measure of food choices (r=.32-.64), and the FLQ-SF predicted unhealthy food consumption over and above the full FLQ demonstrating criterion-related and incremental validity respectively. The final FLQ-SF included 21 items and had a Cronbach's alpha of .75. Short-form reliability was established with correlations between corresponding subscales of the FLQ and FLQ-SF ranging from r=.64-.84. Overall, the FLQ-SF is brief, psychometrically robust, and easy to administer. It should be considered an important tool in research informing public policies and programs that aim to improve food choices.
authors.affiliation: Flinders Centre for Innovation in Cancer, School of Medicine, Flinders University, Adelaide 5001, SA, Australia. Gemma.Sharp@flinders.edu.au
authors.forename: Gemma
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sharp
authors.forename: Amanda D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Hutchinson
authors.forename: Ivanka
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Prichard
authors.forename: Carlene
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wilson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002755:Choice Behavior; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013021:South Australia; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Food attitudes; Food choice; Food consumption; Reliability; Shortened questionnaire; Validity