Construct validity of Brazilian cooking skills and healthy eating questionnaire by the known-groups method

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the results of the construct validity by the known-groups method of a Brazilian cooking skills and healthy-eating questionnaire. Design/methodology/approach Responses obtained from university students (n=767) for Brazilian-Portuguese cooking skills and health eating questionnaire, surveyed online, were submitted to construct validity comparing two known groups. The t-test was used to compare differences between gender (male and female) and the level of cooking knowledge (high or low) in each measure of the questionnaire. Internal consistency was evaluated by obtaining the Cronbach’s coefficient. Findings Women showed significantly higher means than men in all scale measures, except in the self-efficacy for using basic cooking techniques (SECT), where no differences were found. Students classified as having high cooking knowledge and had higher score means in all scales compared to the students with low levels. Internal consistency was adequate for all scales (a>0.70), except for cooking attitude (CA) (a=0.33) and cooking behavior (CB) scales (a=0.59). Research limitations/implications SECT likely depends on cooking knowledge, independent of gender, suggesting further examination. Items and structure of CA and CB constructs also need to be examined more deeply. Practical implications A validated cooking skills and health-eating questionnaire demonstrated its ability to detect differences between groups, useful to provide data for further interventions. Originality/value No available cooking skills questionnaires were found that have been validated by the known-groups method regarding differences between gender and individuals’ level of cooking knowledge, as conducted in this study.

Cooking Skills Index: Development and reliability assessment

“…The development of new instruments of evaluation, because it is not an easy task, is only encouraged in the absence of another instrument adequate to the practices and the reality under study [13,18,19,23], a situation which was observed in this study [3,4,[11][12][13][14][15]. As an advantage, the CSI is short, easy to apply and standardized.…”

“…The concept of cooking skills adopted in this research was that of DGBP [6]. The literature review verified a lack of an instrument adapted to the Brazilian reality contemplating such a definition [3,4,[11][12][13][14][15]].…”

“…Besides, studies on CS can provide information to professional practices and to directing policies promoting AHE [6][7][8][9][10]. However, most of the few existing instruments [3,4,[11][12][13][14][15] are from high-income countries and they differ in the CS definition adopted. Few studies describe the psychometric evaluations performed and they rarely present the theory that supports them.…”

“…Although the DGBP is the official document of the Brazilian Ministry of Health regulating the principles and reference practices promoting AHE, no existing instrument [3,4,[11][12][13][14][15] used DGBP as the base for the definition of CS [6]. Thus, by highlighting the need to instrumentalize research in order to be in line with the DGBP, this article describes the development of the Cooking Skills Index (CSI) and also evaluates CSI reliability.…”

Nutrition and Culinary in the Kitchen Program: a randomized controlled intervention to promote cooking skills and healthy eating in university students – study protocol

“…The questionnaire items were distributed within eight measures about cooking skills and healthy eating, and a group of items about personal, cooking and demographic characteristics. The process of cross-culturally adaptation and validation of the instrument to Brazil is ongoing and the first paper was published in a scientific journal [ 67 ].…”