Validity and Internal Consistency of the Preschool-FLAT, a New Tool for the Assessment of Food Literacy in Young Children from the Training-To-Health Project.

Garden Tabacchi,Giuseppe Battaglia,Marianna Bellafiore,Antonio Paoli,Antonio Palma,Giuseppe Messina

doi:10.3390/ijerph17082759

Abstract

Background: The importance of assessing “food literacy” since youth has been highlighted and, to this purpose, valid and consistent instruments are needed. This study aimed to assess the validity and internal consistency of the preschool-FLAT (Food Literacy Assessment Tool). Methods. 505 children from 21 kindergartens, recruited within the Training-to-Health Project in Palermo (Italy), underwent oral sessions and activities on food-related aspects. Their knowledge/skills were recorded in the preschool-FLAT. The following scale measures were assessed: Content validity; internal consistency (Chronbach’s alpha coefficients); construct validity (Structural Equation Modeling—SEM); discriminant validity (intervention subgroup of 100 children vs. control group of 27 children). Results. Acceptable content validity of a 16-items scale and overall adequate internal consistency were revealed: Content validity index (CVI) 0.94, content validity ratio (CVR) 0.88, Chronbach’s alpha 0.76. The SEM revealed a 4-factor model fitting the data well (comparative fit index 0.939, root mean square error of approximation 0.033). Discriminant validity was good (intervention group scoring higher than control, p < 0.001, unpaired Student’s t-test). Conclusion. The preschool-FLAT revealed good psychometric properties, adequate validity and internal consistency. This is the only instrument in the literature specifically targeted to 3–6 years old children that could be effectively used to assess food literacy.

Highlights

Previous studies have demonstrated that children in preschool age are able to comprehend concepts of food, nutrients and energy, to recognize healthy and non-healthy foods, and can accumulate and process information by observing familiar adults and teachers; they can take advantage from nutrition education within a preschool context by improving their knowledge and skills related to nutrition [1,2].Children in distinct cognitive stages think, decide and perceive food topics differently
The present study reports on the content, construct and discriminant validity of this tool, and on its internal consistency
Some authors developed Food literacy” (FL) questionnaires questionnaires addressed to children in elementary schools and encouraged to perform these kinds addressed to children in elementary schools and encouraged to perform these kinds of surveys in of surveys in different age groups of children [22,23]; some others conceived an instrument for predifferent age groups of children [22,23]; some others conceived an instrument for pre-schoolers, that schoolers, that anyway was aimed at assessing only knowledge of foods and their relative healthiness anyway was aimed at assessing only knowledge of foods and their relative healthiness [44]

Summary

Introduction

Previous studies have demonstrated that children in preschool age are able to comprehend concepts of food, nutrients and energy, to recognize healthy and non-healthy foods, and can accumulate and process information by observing familiar adults and teachers; they can take advantage from nutrition education within a preschool context by improving their knowledge and skills related to nutrition [1,2].Children in distinct cognitive stages think, decide and perceive food topics differently. This study aimed to assess the validity and internal consistency of the preschool-FLAT (Food Literacy Assessment Tool). 505 children from 21 kindergartens, recruited within the Training-to-Health Project in Palermo (Italy), underwent oral sessions and activities on food-related aspects. Their knowledge/skills were recorded in the preschool-FLAT. The following scale measures were assessed: Content validity; internal consistency (Chronbach’s alpha coefficients); construct validity Acceptable content validity of a 16-items scale and overall adequate internal consistency were revealed: Content validity index (CVI) 0.94, content validity ratio (CVR) 0.88, Chronbach’s alpha 0.76. Discriminant validity was good (intervention group scoring higher than control, p < 0.001, unpaired Student’s t-test)

Objectives

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion