The University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS, USA.
Health Promot Pract. 2024 Jul;25(4):644-656. doi: 10.1177/15248399231222463. Epub 2024 Jan 20.
Parents and preschool teachers play a key role in shaping children's dietary behaviors. Knowledge of nutrition and healthy dietary choices is a key component to improve dietary habits and reduce the prevalence of obesity and associated co-morbidities. Using valid and reliable instruments is necessary for accurate assessment of knowledge to tailor interventions and measure effectiveness specific to the population of interest. The objectives of this paper are to (1) identify potential gaps in the baseline nutrition knowledge among parents and teachers using a previously validated questionnaire prior to a preschool obesity prevention intervention; and (2) assess the instrument's reliability and construct validity for a low socioeconomic status population using a post hoc Rasch analysis. Participants included 177 parents and 75 teachers who participated in a Head Start intervention study. Knowledge scores, instrument reliability, and item fit and difficulty were assessed using a Rasch analysis; t-tests were used to determine differences in scores between parents and teachers. Parents answered 38% of questions correctly while teachers correctly answered 46% of the questions. Adequate item fit and reliability were indicated for Sections 1 and 2 of the Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (NKQ). Section 3 demonstrated less adequate reliability. The items were found to adequately and reliably define the unidimensional measures of the three components of knowledge represented in this instrument, providing evidence of construct validity. However, Rasch measures indicated the NKQ overall was difficult for participants. Recommendations for improving the instrument for nutrition education/intervention and research practice areas related to obesity and obesity-related conditions are addressed.
家长和学前教师在塑造儿童饮食行为方面起着关键作用。营养知识和健康饮食选择是改善饮食习惯和降低肥胖症及相关合并症发病率的关键组成部分。使用有效和可靠的工具对于准确评估知识以针对相关人群量身定制干预措施和衡量干预效果是必要的。本文的目的是：(1) 使用先前验证的问卷，在学前肥胖预防干预之前，确定家长和教师在营养知识方面的基线潜在差距；(2) 使用事后 Rasch 分析评估该工具在低社会经济地位人群中的可靠性和结构有效性。参与者包括 177 名家长和 75 名教师，他们参加了一项“开端计划”干预研究。使用 Rasch 分析评估知识得分、工具可靠性以及项目拟合和难度；使用 t 检验确定家长和教师之间的得分差异。家长答对了 38%的问题，而教师答对了 46%的问题。营养知识问卷（NKQ）的第 1 节和第 2 节显示出足够的项目拟合和可靠性。第 3 节的可靠性则较差。这些项目被发现能够充分且可靠地定义该工具所代表的知识三个组成部分的单维度量，这为结构有效性提供了证据。然而，Rasch 测量表明，NKQ 对参与者来说总体上较为困难。针对改善该工具用于营养教育/干预以及与肥胖和肥胖相关疾病相关的研究实践领域提出了建议。
