[Development of a didactic questionnaire to measure vegetable and fruit intake during the school recess. Pilot test]

To develop an open, self-reported questionnaire, focused in understanding intake and intention to increase vegetable and fruit consumption during the Mexican children's lunchtime.

After assessing pilot tests, the self-reported questionnaire was applied as a classroom exercise to measure children's consumptions of fruit and vegetables.

A total of 486 children completed the questionnaire (49.8% males and 50.2% females). The reported food consumption indicates that 24.5% of children do not consume vegetables or fruits, and among consumers the most common portion size is one. Girls consume more vegetables and fruits and they can recognize more benefits. A total of 9.7% of the participants that do not consume VF, expressed less intention of including vegetables or fruits in their lunch. These results were similar to those reported by other authors.

This study is useful to identify strengths and limitations during the design and implementation of this type of instrument to understand children's food habits during school recess.