Development of a scale of use, comprehension and attitudes in relation to nutrition labels in Spanish

Abstract

Objective. To describe the development of a reliable and valid measure of attitudes toward, and use and comprehension of nutritional labels in Spanish speaking countries. Materials and methods. The dimensions encompassed in this instrument are attitudes, comprehension and use, combining self-reports and objective measures of nutrition knowledge. Content validity, item analysis, repeat and internal reliability, and convergent and divergent validity were assessed in a pooled sample of 185 individuals. Results. Cronbach alpha coefficients (above 0.9) exhibit internal consistency. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses of the scale show good properties for convergent and divergent validity. Conclusion. The final 25-item scale is a valid and reliable measure of use, comprehension and attitude towards nutrition labels for Spanish speaking populations.