Buccini Gabriela, Schoetker Ambree, Poblacion Ana, Neupane Smriti, Grigsby Timothy J, Simangan Dodds, Desai Jyoti, Brown Allison, Chinn Juanita, Sharma Manoj
Department of Social and Behavioral Health, University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Public Health, Paradise, Nevada, United States of America.
Children's HealthWatch, Department of Pediatrics, Boston Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2025 Jul 21;20(7):e0328891. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0328891. eCollection 2025.
Perinatal care professionals are presented with regular opportunities to screen for food insecurity risk and provide referrals for their patients. However, their own experience or lack thereof with food insecurity may interfere with the implementation of screening. Thus, we aimed to develop, validate, and pilot a food insecurity knowledge, attitudes, and practices questionnaire (KAP-FI) for perinatal care professionals that can support the implementation of universal screening for food insecurity.
A multi-step process included (a) questionnaire development, (b) content validation, (c) face validation, (d) reliability and readability, and (e) pilot assessment of KAP-FI. The research team developed the questionnaire; five experts in maternal-child health assisted with content validity, and eight perinatal care professionals assisted with face validity and readability. The pilot phase was carried out with seventy-two perinatal care professionals providing direct services to pregnant people or children under three years in Clark County, Nevada, United States.
KAP-FI included 53 items after content validation, face validation, and pilot phases. Responses from the pilot showed that about 60% of professionals (n = 42) are aware of the 2-item food insecurity screening tool (Hunger Vital Sign™), but of that half (n = 23) indicated that universal screening for food insecurity may not be beneficial to clients/patients. Nonetheless, professionals shared that food insecurity screening (n = 62, 86.1%), referral (n = 69, 95.8%), and follow-up (n = 71, 98.6%) would increase patients trust in them. Thus, 40% (n = 29) reported using a checklist or other reminders to prompt them to screen their clients/patients for food insecurity risk.
KAP-FI is an appropriate and feasible tool to identify baseline barriers and facilitators on knowledge, attitudes, and practices of perinatal care professionals to address food insecurity in the United States.
围产期护理专业人员经常有机会筛查粮食不安全风险并为患者提供转诊服务。然而，他们自身在粮食不安全方面的经历或缺乏此类经历可能会干扰筛查工作的实施。因此，我们旨在开发、验证并试点一项针对围产期护理专业人员的粮食不安全知识、态度和实践问卷（KAP-FI），以支持对粮食不安全进行普遍筛查。
一个多步骤过程包括（a）问卷开发，（b）内容验证，（c）表面效度验证，（d）信度和可读性评估，以及（e）KAP-FI的试点评估。研究团队开发了问卷；五位母婴健康专家协助进行内容效度评估，八位围产期护理专业人员协助进行表面效度和可读性评估。试点阶段在美国内华达州克拉克县对72位为孕妇或三岁以下儿童提供直接服务的围产期护理专业人员开展。
经过内容验证、表面效度验证和试点阶段后，KAP-FI包含53个项目。试点的反馈表明，约60%的专业人员（n = 42）知晓两项粮食不安全筛查工具（饥饿生命体征™），但其中一半（n = 23）表示对粮食不安全进行普遍筛查可能对客户/患者并无益处。尽管如此，专业人员表示，粮食不安全筛查（n = 62，86.1%）、转诊（n = 69，95.8%）和随访（n = 71，98.6%）会增加患者对他们的信任。因此，40%（n = 29）报告使用清单或其他提醒来促使他们对客户/患者进行粮食不安全风险筛查。
KAP-FI是一种合适且可行的工具，可用于识别美国围产期护理专业人员在粮食不安全知识、态度和实践方面的基线障碍及促进因素。
