Abstract
This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable scale for assessing food and nutritional insecurity, specifically in adolescents. The initial version of the scale consisted of two subscales: perception of food insecurity and perception of nutritional security. The items were submitted to content analysis (n = 4) by a group of food and nutrition security experts, and semantic analysis (n = 20) by a group of adolescents conveniently sampled from the target population. After adjustments, the final version of the scale was applied to adolescent students (n = 425) aged 12 to 18 years (m = 14.32±0.96; CV = 6.7%). A two-factor model was the most appropriate after performing exploratory factor analysis. The subscales showed modest values of the alpha coefficient (0.69 and 0.60, respectively). Daily consumption of fruits, vegetables and soft drinks was significantly associated with higher scores in the food and nutrition security perception scale. Therefore, it is recommended to combine food access-based items with other aspects related to attitudes and behaviors towards healthy eating in order to achieve a more accurate picture of adolescent's needs and better guide public policies.
Highlights
Resumo O objetivo do trabalho foi desenvolver uma escala válida e fidedigna para a avaliação de insegurança alimentar e nutricional especificamente em adolescentes
This study aimed to develop a valid and reliable scale for assessing food and nutritional insecurity, in adolescents
The items were submitted to content analysis (n = 4) by a group of food and nutrition security experts, and semantic analysis (n = 20) by a group of adolescents conveniently sampled from the target population
Summary
Trata-se de um estudo metodológico[13] de elaboração e proposição de uma escala de avaliação de segurança alimentar e nutricional para adolescentes (ESANa). Para o cálculo do tamanho amostral foram utilizados os seguintes parâmetros: total de adolescentes do 9o ano do ensino fundamental matriculados na zona urbana de Fortaleza em 2012 (32.977 alunos), intervalo de confiança de 95%, erro máximo tolerável de 5% e prevalência de insegurança alimentar estimada (21,3%)[14]. Como o processo de escolha das unidades amostrais foi por conglomerados, multiplicou-se por dois (efeito do design amostral - DEFF) o tamanho inicialmente calculado. Considerando o tamanho amostral estimado e o número de alunos por escola, nove escolas de ensino fundamental (cinco públicas e quatro privadas) foram selecionadas com probabilidade proporcional ao tamanho. Como se trata de uma validação de instrumento, atendeu-se a recomendação de dez ou mais participantes por número de itens[15]
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