Validation of the Child Feeding Questionnaire among Saudi pre-schoolers in Jeddah city.

Abstract

To examine the psychometric properties of an Arabic version of the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ-A) in a sample of Saudi pre-schoolers and their mothers. Cross-sectional study. Mothers completed questionnaires over the telephone and child anthropometry was measured objectively using standardized procedures; BMI Z-scores (BMIZ) were calculated based on the age- and sex-specific WHO growth standards and reference data. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine the original seven-factor CFQ model, as well as a modified nine-factor model. Cronbach's α was calculated to examine the internal consistency of each factor; Spearman correlation was used to examine 2-week retest reliability. Factor-factor and factor-child BMIZ correlations were examined. Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. A total of 209 mothers and children were recruited from eight different pre-schools. Both the original seven-factor and modified nine-factor CFQ-A exhibited good fit (root-mean-square-error of approximation < 0·05). Six out of nine factors had excellent internal consistency and all factors showed excellent 2-week test-retest reliability. There were significant correlations between child BMIZ and five out of the nine factors; Perceived Child Weight, Perceived Parent Weight, Restriction and Monitoring were each positively correlated with child BMIZ, while Concern about Child's Diet was negatively correlated with child BMIZ. The study provided evidence supporting the validity and reliability of the original seven-factor and modified nine-factor CFQ-A. Future studies are needed to further establish the psychometric properties of the CFQ-A in addition to other feeding assessment tools.