Validation of a 10-Item Questionnaire Measuring Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in 9-11 year old Children Living in Low Income Households
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Date
2014-02
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Abstract
Background: Many U.S. children do not meet the recommended daily requirement for fruit and vegetable intake; this is particularly true among low-income populations. In order to determine the effectiveness of nutrition education programs aimed at improving children’s food choices and eating behaviors, cost-effective and easily administered validated assessment tools are needed. Unfortunately, to date, few such survey tools exist.
Purpose: The purpose of this pilot study was to test the criterion (concurrent) validity of a 10-item fruit and vegetable questionnaire (FVQ) in preadolescent children (ages 9 to 11 years), previously validated for face and content validity. The 24-hr dietary recall was selected as the ‘gold standard’ reference tool.
Methods: Children enrolled in the 3rd and 4th grade classrooms of the University District Freedom School Summer Literacy Program were invited to participate in the study. Trained nutritionists administered the 10-item FVQ followed by the 24-hour dietary recall to study participants on the same day. Frequency of fruit and vegetable intake was calculated for the 24-hour dietary recall (mean=5.06, SD=2.49) and a frequency score for the 10-item questionnaire (mean=33.06, SD=6.92). Spearman correlation was used to measure level of agreement between questionnaires.
Results: Low-income child participants (n=17), ages 9 to 11 years, completed the study. The means of fruit and vegetable intake frequency from the 10-item FVQ was significantly correlated with the 24-hour dietary recall (r=0.77, p<0.001).
Conclusions and Implications of Findings: Results from this pilot test demonstrate the potential validity of this easily administered and cost-effective 10-item FVQ. Future studies encompassing test-re-test reliability, sensitivity, construct, and further examination of criterion validity with a larger sample size should be conducted to establish full validity of this screening tool.
Description
Poster Division: Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences: 1st Place (The Ohio State University Edward F. Hayes Graduate Research Forum)
Keywords
Survey Validation, Fruit and Vegetable, children, nutrition, low-income