Extending the validity of the Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire

Area of Science:

• Child development
• Nutritional science
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Feeding practices significantly influence children's eating behaviors and weight.
• Existing questionnaires often lack rigorous reliability and validity testing.
• The Feeding Practices and Structure Questionnaire (FPSQ) assesses early feeding and meal environment structure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To extend the validity of the FPSQ by examining factorial, construct, and predictive validity.
• To assess the stability of feeding practices over time.
• To confirm the FPSQ's factor structure in a new sample.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the NOURISH randomized controlled trial involving first-time mothers.
• Assessed maternal feeding practices and child eating behaviors at 2 and 3.7 years (n=388).
• Employed Confirmatory Factor Analysis, group comparisons, predictive relationship analysis, and stability testing.

Main Results:

• The FPSQ's 9-factor structure was confirmed at 3.7 years.
• Cronbach's alpha exceeded 0.70 for most factors, indicating good internal reliability.
• Feeding practices were stable from 2 to 3.7 years (r=0.45-0.70), with some predictive validity evidence.

Conclusions:

• Most FPSQ subscales demonstrated reliability and validity.
• Further validation is recommended with diverse cultural samples and other caregivers.
• Exploring predictive validity with additional outcomes and testing test-retest reliability is advised.