Abstract
BackgroundPreschool children’s knowledge of, and preference for food and physical activity play an important role in the development of lifestyle behaviors throughout childhood. Valid and reliable instruments that are interactive and appealing to preschool children are needed, to obtain quality information in a way that actively engages children and encourages willing participation. The purpose of the current research is to assess the reliability and validity of an adapted computerized (iPad) version of the photo-pair food and exercise questionnaire (PPFEQ).MethodsThe adaptation of the PPFEQ involved generating the questionnaire as an iPad-based tool, updating the photo-pairs within the questionnaire and testing for validity and reliability. This involved four phases of investigation to assess test-retest reliability, internal consistency, sensitivity to change and percent agreement of the questionnaire.ResultsThe adaption of the PPFEQ resulted in an 18-item questionnaire, titled the preschool food and play questionnaire (Pre-FPQ). The Pre-FPQ demonstrated acceptable reliability and sensitivity to change. Test-retest reliability and internal consistency improved with age, however, it was evident that the tool was not suitable for children younger than 4 years of age.ConclusionsChildren encounter a dynamic world that shapes their knowledge, preferences, choices and behaviors. The Pre-FPQ is an innovative tool to measure preschool children’s knowledge of and preference for food and physical activity. The questionnaire offers the advantage of being presented in a well-received modality for preschool children as well as being easy and inexpensive to administer. This new tool is likely to be useful for the assessment of the effectiveness of healthy lifestyle programs implemented in the childcare setting. Future work is needed to refine and improve measures of physical activity preference in preschool children.
Highlights
Preschool children’s knowledge of, and preference for food and physical activity play an important role in the development of lifestyle behaviors throughout childhood
Due to the emergence of new technologies since the questionnaire was last tested for validity and reliability, activities involving screen-time were added to the physical activity component of the questionnaire as sedentary alternatives [22]
Test-retest reliability and internal consistency improved with age; it was evident that the tool was not suitable for children younger than 4 years of age
Summary
Preschool children’s knowledge of, and preference for food and physical activity play an important role in the development of lifestyle behaviors throughout childhood. Food and activity knowledge As children begin to gain independence, they operationalize the knowledge they have gained about food and exercise into what they perceive to be appropriate health behaviors [3]. In this way, a child’s knowledge and understanding of the benefits of a healthy diet and physical activity can have an important influence on a child’s lifestyle behaviors [9,10,11,12]. Picture-based identification tasks and sorting activities (in which children sort food into groups based on type and nutritional quality) are most commonly used as an engaging and efficient technique to assess food knowledge in this age group [16, 17]
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