Development and validation of an Arabic questionnaire to assess psychosocial determinants of eating behavior among adolescents: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: There is a scarcity of studies that evaluate the psychosocial determinants of eating behavior among adolescents in the Eastern Mediterranean region. The availability of such data is limited by the lack of valid culturally appropriate tools. The current study aims to develop and validate an Arabic questionnaire that measures psychosocial determinants of eating behavior among adolescents. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out to validate a five-scale questionnaire developed to measure nutrition-related knowledge, attitude, practices, and self-efficacy and social norms. Content validity was assessed by Lawshe\u2019s method, factor analysis was used to assess construct validity, and Cronbach\u2019s \u3b1 was used to test internal consistency. Temporal stability was assessed by test\u2013retest reliability. A random sample of public and private school students participated in the validation study. Results: All the five scales demonstrated excellent content validity (content validity ratio, CVR 650.778). Factor analysis revealed several dimensions for each scale. Cronbach\u2019s \u3b1 for the identified dimensions or subscales ranged between 0.495 and 0.809 indicating acceptable internal consistency. Cronbach\u2019s \u3b1 for the total scales ranged between 0.759 and 0.836. Test\u2013retest analysis revealed good temporal stability (intraclass correlation, ICC >0.7). Conclusions: A psychometrically valid tool to measure psychosocial determinants of eating behavior was developed. This tool can serve as a potential instrument for pretest and impact evaluation of ongoing nutrition education interventions and curricula. Based on results obtained from this tool, efficacious modifications can be instilled for nutrition policies and interventions