Developing a computer-assisted health knowledge quiz for preschool children

The project evaluated the reliability of a computer-assisted health education knowledge quiz, a multiple-choice picture identification assessment tool for nutrition and health-related knowledge in preschool age children. Pearson's product moment correlation coefficients were computed to assess overall and componential stability between test/retest scores of 51 children (mean age 3.6 years) enrolled in a Head Start preschool center. Cronbach alpha coefficients were calculated to determine the internal consistency of the subscales. Overall reliability for the computer-assisted quiz was high at .82 (p < .01). For individual subscales, test/retest correlations were highest for Nutrition, Safety, and Environment (r = .56 to .81) and lower but still significant for Dental, Smoking, and Fitness (r = .37 to .48). Results suggest a computer-assisted knowledge quiz can provide a reliable tool to assess health education knowledge in young children. In addition, the computer-assisted test format is highly acceptable to preschool children and enables researchers to administer a more extensive test to young children with brief attention spans in a manner that engages their full cooperation and effort. In this respect it offers several advantages over traditional paper-and-pencil formats.