Cognitive Interviews with Parents to Validate a Questionnaire Assessing the Quality of Home Food Supplies

Abstract

Foods available at home can affect health outcomes. Time‐efficient, reliable, valid tools that accurately estimate the calorie and nutrient quality of the home food supply are needed. Thus, a 36‐item food frequency questionnaire for individual intake was modified to assess household food supply fruit and vegetable servings, calories, percent calories from fat, and nutrients (i.e., total fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, vitamin C, fiber, potassium, magnesium, sugar from sweetened beverages). As part of validation, cognitive interviews were conducted with 15 parents to assess comprehension of questionnaire items and accuracy of interpretation by having parents read each questionnaire item aloud and verbally explain what the item was asking, then select their answer to the item and state the reasoning for the answer. The instructions for completing the questionnaire were reviewed with each parent before the cognitive interview began. After the first 5 interviews, the instrument layout was revised to put fewer items on each page (similar items, such as fruits and vegetables, were grouped together on a page) and repeating questionnaire instructions at the top of each page as a reminder of how to answer the items. Overall, parents correctly interpreted questionnaire items, felt that they were quick and easy to complete, and had only minor suggestions for improvement. A few parents thought some items were redundant, mainly because parents did not differentiate between food descriptors/qualifiers (e.g., low fat vs whole milk) indicating a need for stronger visual cues in the questionnaire to facilitate differentiation (e.g., color, bold, and/or underline descriptors). Several were unsure as to whether takeout food, specifically pizza, should be counted as part of the household food supply. A few wanted to report on additional food items beyond those in the questionnaire, such as ethnic foods. Some had minor difficulties remembering the questionnaire was about household food availability not dietary intake of individual family members. Cognitive interview results indicate that a food frequency questionnaire modified for assessing household food supply is a quick, easy tool for estimating food availability in the home and is understandable and acceptable to study participants. Future research should investigate the validity of the questionnaire by comparing parent responses to actual household food supplies.Support or Funding InformationUSDA NIFA #2011‐68001‐30170