Reliability and validity of nutrition knowledge questionnaire for adults.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the validity and reliability of a nutrition knowledge questionnaire for adults in California. METHODS: A convenience sample of adults was recruited for cognitive interviews. A mail-based survey of 400 randomly selected addresses was used to assess internal consistency (Cronbach α). Researchers assessed content validity (Student t test) and test-retest reliability (Pearson correlation) in a convenience sample of university students who had previously taken a college nutrition course, compared with students who had not. RESULTS: Twenty adults participated in cognitive interviews, 94 adults returned the mailed questionnaire, and 48 university students participated in validity and reliability testing. Cronbach α = .91 and test-retest r = 0.95, demonstrating internal consistency reliability and test-retest reliability. Students who had taken a college-level nutrition course scored significantly higher compared with students who had not (P < .001), demonstrating construct validity. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Findings show that the questionnaire is a valid and reliable nutrition knowledge measure for use in California and may be of use in other places.

The Shaping Healthy Choices Program: design and implementation methodologies for a multicomponent, school-based nutrition education intervention.

OBJECTIVE: To provide a framework for implementation of multicomponent, school-based nutrition interventions. This article describes the research methods for the Shaping Healthy Choices Program, a model to improve nutrition and health-related knowledge and behaviors among school-aged children. DESIGN: Longitudinal, pretest/posttest, randomized, controlled intervention. SETTING: Four elementary schools in California. PARTICIPANTS: Fourth-grade students at intervention (n = 252) and control (n = 238) schools and their parents and teachers. Power analyses demonstrate that a minimum of 159 students per group will be needed to achieve sufficient power. The sample size was determined using the variables of nutrition knowledge, vegetable preference score, and body mass index percentile. INTERVENTION: A multicomponent school-based nutrition education intervention over 1 academic year, followed by activities to support sustainability of the program. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Dietary and nutrition knowledge and behavior, critical thinking skills, healthy food preferences and consumption, and physical activity will be measured using a nutrition knowledge questionnaire, a food frequency questionnaire, a vegetable preferences assessment tool, the Test of Basic Science Process Skills, digital photography of plate waste, PolarActive accelerometers, anthropometrics, a parent questionnaire, and the School and Community Actions for Nutrition survey. ANALYSIS: Evaluation will include quantitative and qualitative measures. Quantitative data will use paired t, chi-square, and Mann-Whitney U tests and regression modeling using P = .05 to determine statistical significance.

Food insecurity and food supplies in Latino households with young children.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between food insecurity and food supplies in Latino households. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey, conducted February to May 2001. SETTING: Six California counties. PARTICIPANTS: Convenience sampling was used to recruit 274 low-income Latino families with preschool children from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), Head Start, and other community-based organizations. Complete data were available for 256 families. VARIABLES MEASURED: Food security, household food scores. ANALYSIS: Pearson correlations, Kruskal-Wallis test, and logistics regression. Significance level at P <.05. RESULTS: Controlling for maternal education, food insecurity over the past 3 months was associated with lower household food supplies: dairy, r = -.18, P <.01; fruit, r = -.36, P <.001; grains, r = -.27, P <.0001; meats, r = -.22, P <.001; snack foods, r = -.23, P <.001; and vegetables, r = -.29, P <.001. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: In Latino households, greater food insecurity is associated with a lower variety of most foods, particularly fruits and vegetables. Future research in Latino households should explore the effects of seasonal food insecurity and household food shortages on food intake of individual household members, especially young children.