Development of a questionnaire to assess knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in American Indian children

One aim of the Pathways study is to improve the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of American Indian children in grades 3-5 regarding physical activity and diet in. This article describes the development of a culturally sensitive, age-appropriate questionnaire to assess these variables. The questionnaire was designed to be administered in the classroom in two 30-min sessions. Questions were developed to assess 4 key areas: physical activity, diet, weight-related attitudes, and cultural identity. Potential questions were written after review of relevant literature and existing questionnaires. Numerous and extensive revisions were made in response to input from structured, semistructured, and informal data collection. Questions were pretested in 32 children in grades 3-5 by using semistructured interviews. Test-retest reliability and the internal consistency of scales were examined in 371 fourth-grade children and subsequently in 145 fourth-grade children. Questions were reviewed by American Indians from the communities involved in the Pathways study several times during the developmental process. The process described here serves as one model for the development of a culturally appropriate tool to assess knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors in American Indian children.