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Reliability and validity of a healthy diet determinants questionnaire for adolescents

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 October 2009

Carine Vereecken*
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Gent University, De Pintelaan 185, 900 Ghent, Belgium
Stefaan De Henauw
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Gent University, De Pintelaan 185, 900 Ghent, Belgium
Lea Maes
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health, Gent University, De Pintelaan 185, 900 Ghent, Belgium
Luis Moreno
Affiliation:
Universidad de Zaragoza, EU Ciencias de la Salud, Domingo Miral s/n, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Yannis Manios
Affiliation:
Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, Harokopio University, 70 El. Venizelou Avenue, 176 71 Kallithea, Athens, Greece
Katharina Phillipp
Affiliation:
Abteilung für Ernährungsmedizin, Universität Klinik für Kinder- und Jugendheilkunde, Medizinische Universität Wien, Währinger Gürtel 18–20, 1090 Wien, Austria
Maria Plada
Affiliation:
School Of Medicine, Department of Social Medicine, Preventive Medicine & Nutrition Clinic, University of Crete, PO Box 2208, GR-71003 Heraklion, Crete
Ilse De Bourdeaudhuij
Affiliation:
Department of Movement and Sport Sciences, Ghent University, Watersportlaan 2, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
*
*Corresponding author: Email Carine.Vereecken@UGent.be
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Abstract

Objective

To describe the development of a short questionnaire including a wide range of personal, social and environmental constructs in relation to a healthy diet in an adolescent population.

Design

The questionnaire was developed based on the literature, past experiences and feedback from a small pilot study (n 10). Test and retest (2 weeks later) of the questionnaire was done to investigate test–retest reliability. Data of four non-consecutive 24 h recalls were collected to investigate the predictive validity with food (fruit, vegetables, milk, snacks, soft drinks), nutrient (fibre, ascorbic acid, Ca, percentage energy from fat) and energy intakes.

Setting

At home, in the presence of a student.

Subjects

Convenience sample of fifty-five Belgian-Flemish adolescents approached by university students for course credits.

Results

Test–retest correlations of the constructs ranged between 0·51 and 0·78. Eleven of the eighteen final constructs were significantly associated with one or more of the five selected food items, all in the expected direction. Most significant associations with the food items were found for taste, perceived peers’ behaviour and availability of soft drinks at home. Fresh fruit and soft drinks were correlated with most constructs (seven) followed by snacks (five). Concerning energy and the selected nutrient variables, the findings were less clear.

Conclusions

The results are promising: the test–retest stability was moderate to good; most of the psychosocial constructs were significantly associated with one or more of the selected dietary variables. Future work in a larger sample of European adolescents is warranted.

Information

Type
Research Paper
Copyright
Copyright © The Authors 2009
Figure 0

Table 1 Description of the items, internal consistency (Cronbach’s α) of constructs, Spearman’s test–retest correlations (r) and mean item scores and their standard deviations for the healthy diet determinants questionnaire among fifty-five Belgian-Flemish adolescents, 2006

Figure 1

Table 2 Spearman’s correlations between the psychosocial constructs, the food variables, nutrient and energy intake for the healthy diet determinants questionnaire among fifty-five Belgian-Flemish adolescents, 2006