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Published on: September 18, 2018
Development and validation of a short dietary questionnaire for assessing obesity-related dietary behaviours in young
Lucinda Bell1, Alexandra Manson1, Dorota Zarnowiecki1
1Flinders University, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Caring Futures Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Insights
A new short questionnaire, the Early Prevention of Obesity in Childhood Dietary Questionnaire (EPOCH-DQ), effectively screens obesity-related dietary behaviors in young children. It demonstrates good reliability and validity for early obesity prevention efforts.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Nutrition Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Limited availability of validated, brief tools hinders rapid screening of young children's obesity-related dietary behaviors.
- Effective early obesity prevention requires accessible methods for assessing dietary habits in diverse settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and assess the reliability and validity of a caregiver-reported short dietary questionnaire for children aged 6 months to 5 years.
- The Early Prevention of Obesity in Childhood Dietary Questionnaire (EPOCH-DQ) aims to facilitate rapid screening of obesity-related dietary behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Developed three age-specific versions of the EPOCH-DQ (infants, toddlers, preschoolers) using a rigorous process for content and structural validity.
- Assessed test-retest reliability (n=126) and internal consistency, concurrent validity against the InFANT Food Frequency Questionnaire, and construct validity (n=209).
Main Results:
- The EPOCH-DQ demonstrated acceptable validity and reliability across its age-specific versions.
- Scores for diet risk, diet quality, and feeding practices showed significant correlations (p<0.05) for both validity (rS: 0.45-0.89) and reliability (ICC: 0.61-0.99).
Conclusions:
- The EPOCH-DQ is a reliable and valid tool for screening obesity-related dietary behaviors in children under five.
- Its short length and low participant burden make it suitable for various research and practice settings in early obesity prevention.
Abstract:
There are few short, validated tools to assess young children's obesity-related dietary behaviours, limiting the rapid screening of dietary behaviours in research and practice-based early obesity prevention. This study aimed to develop and assess the reliability and validity of a caregiver-reported short dietary questionnaire to rapidly assess obesity-related dietary behaviours in children aged 6 months to 5 years. The Early Prevention of Obesity in Childhood Dietary Questionnaire (EPOCH-DQ) was developed using a rigorous process to determine content and structural validity. Three age-appropriate versions were developed for (1) infants, aged 6-12 months, (2) toddlers, aged 1-2.9 years and (3) pre-schoolers, aged 3-5 years. The questionnaire (7-15 items) measures dietary behaviours, including diet risk from non-core food and beverage intake, diet quality from vegetable frequency, bread type and infant feeding practices. Test-retest reliability was assessed from repeated administrations 1 week apart (n = 126). Internal consistency, concurrent validity (against a comparison questionnaire, the InFANT Food Frequency Questionnaire), construct validity and interpretability were assessed (n = 209). Most scores were highly correlated and significantly associated (p < 0.05) for validity (rs: 0.45-0.89, percentage agreement 68%-100%) and reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient: 0.61-0.99) for diet risk, diet quality and feeding practice items. The EPOCH-DQ shows acceptable validity and reliability for screening of obesity-related behaviours of children under 5 years of age. The short length and, thus, low participant burden of the EPOCH-DQ allows for potential applications in various settings. Future testing of the EPOCH-DQ should evaluate culturally and socio-economically diverse populations and establish the predictive validity and sensitivity to detect change.
