Development and Validation of a New Home Cooking Frequency Questionnaire: A Pilot Study

Area of Science:

• Nutrition science
• Public health
• Behavioral science

Background:

• Home cooking practices significantly influence health outcomes.
• Existing tools lack comprehensive assessment of cooking frequency and methods.
• Understanding detailed home cooking behaviors is crucial for public health interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and validate the Home Cooking Frequency Questionnaire (HCFQ).
• To assess the psychometric properties of the HCFQ.
• To provide a tool for in-depth analysis of home cooking habits.

Main Methods:

• A five-phase development and validation approach was employed.
• Item generation involved expert opinion, literature review, and prior surveys.
• Psychometric properties were evaluated through content validity, face validity, criterion validity (7-day food record), and reliability testing (test-retest, inter-item).

Main Results:

• The HCFQ demonstrated strong content and face validity.
• Criterion validity showed intraclass correlation coefficients ranging from 0.31–0.69.
• Test-retest reliability coefficients ranged from 0.49–0.92 (ƙ > 0.44), with an overall Cronbach’s alpha of 0.90.

Conclusions:

• The Home Cooking Frequency Questionnaire (HCFQ) is a valid and reliable instrument.
• The HCFQ is the first tool to comprehensively measure cooking frequency and methods at home.
• This questionnaire can aid research on the health impacts of home cooking behaviors.