Nutrition Empowerment Score as Reliable Measurement of Self-Efficacy in a Community-Based Hands-On Nutrition Education Class

Abstract

Describe a reliable measurement of self-efficacy used in a community-based hands-on nutrition education program. Self-efficacy is a concept reflected in health behavior models and theories used to describe individual and community behavior. This study identified a reliable measurement of self-efficacy among participants using the Nutrition Empowerment Score (NES). The score was created by the researcher and agency staff to quantify data related to self-efficacy. Extant post-survey responses from participants of a hands-on nutrition education (HONE) class in a community-based teaching kitchen (n=89) were analyzed to determine the NES. The NES score was a total score of zero to eight, from low to high, representing increasingly perceived benefits from the cooking class. Cronbach’s alpha (α) was used to determine the internal consistency of the NES. Mean NES and a low (0-2), medium (3-5), or high (6-8) NES were used to examine NES among the participant population. Qualitative data from open-ended post-survey responses used inductive analysis to triangulate data related to NES. It was determined that NES was a reliable measure (alpha=.788). Mean NES (6.56 ± 1.93) and 75% of participants with an NES of 6-8 reflected a high NES among participants. Qualitative statements reflected feelings of empowerment and high self-efficacy were expressed in the open-ended responses and supported the high NES scores from the quantitative findings. Findings suggested that nutrition related self-efficacy was accurately assessed and found to be high among participants in the study. Identifying NES as a reliable scale of measurement allowed researchers to examine the relationship between NES and other research variables in the study.