Development and test-retest reliability of the Food Photograph Scale for Brazilian adults.

Abstract

The study of food practices in Brazil faces important problems because of the nonexistence of properly tested methods and lack of a gold-standard instrument. Furthermore, only one instrument is capable of measuring food choice or knowledge in this specific population. In the present study we sought to develop a rapid assessment tool for food choice, consumption, and knowledge about healthy foods and test the reliability of the assessment tool in young adults as an initial step in the validation process. The scale was composed of 22 photographs of foods that were ready to consume, divided into "healthy" and "unhealthy" groups typically eaten as an afternoon snack in our region. To test the reliability of the instrument, 101 college students (51 males) were asked to select three items in response to three questions: "What would you like to eat as an afternoon snack?" "What do you consider healthy?" "What do you usually eat?" The procedure was repeated in the same subjects 1 month after the first application of the instrument. Results indicated a perfect reliability (κ = 1.0) among men when asked to select what they would like to eat, and perfect reliability was found among men and women when asked to select foods that they considered healthy. Excellent reliability (κ > .75) was found among women and the total sample for foods they would like to eat and among men and women for what they usually eat. As an initial step in validating the instrument, the results suggested that it was properly developed and had reliability in the present context for studies that involve eating behavior.

Porque as pessoas comem o que comem? Comparação das motivações para comer entre dois contextos socioeconômicos díspares no Brasil

“…A escolha alimentar é influenciada por fatores biológicos, psicológicos, sociais, culturais, econômicos e está relacionada ao meio ambiente, história individual e personalidade do indivíduo. Elas podem ser avaliadas por meio de práticas observadas -que se referem aos comportamentos alimentares individuais ou coletivos, que podem ser registrados por observação ou com ajuda de técnicas audiovisuais como, por exemplo, observação da composição do prato, como uma pessoa come, quais itens compõem o carrinho no supermercado -em situações corriqueiras ou específicas, o que significa que uma escolha feita em um certo momento não corresponde necessariamente ao comportamento alimentar habitual POULAIN e PROENÇA, 2003;LAUS et al, 2013).…”

“…Para este estudo dos determinantes, é importante frisar que embora estreitamente relacionados, motivações e escolhas são construtos distintos, apesar dos estudos sobre determinantes tradicionalmente focarem em "escolha" (avaliando consumo, compra de alimentos, etc. do peso corporal -e a motivação para seguir certo tipo de "regime ou dieta" alimentarcomo a exclusão de alimentos, grupos ou ingredientes (STEPTOE et al, 1995;GEDRICH, 2003;JOMORI et al, 2008;LAUS et al, 2013;. Trabalhos com a população europeia mostram que indivíduos com menores níveis de escolaridade ou renda tendem a comprar alimentos e bebidas "menos saudáveis", e que consomem menor quantidade de frutas e verduras (GISKES et al, 2006(GISKES et al, , 2010KONTTINEN et al, 2013;PECHEY et al, 2013).…”