Validity and Internal Consistency of the Preschool-FLAT, a New Tool for the Assessment of Food Literacy in Young Children from the Training-To-Health Project

Abstract

Background: The importance of assessing "food literacy" since youth has been highlighted and, to this purpose, valid and consistent instruments are needed. This study aimed to assess the validity and internal consistency of the preschool-FLAT (Food Literacy Assessment Tool). Methods. 505 children from 21 kindergartens, recruited within the Training-to-Health Project in Palermo (Italy), underwent oral sessions and activities on food-related aspects. Their knowledge/skills were recorded in the preschool-FLAT. The following scale measures were assessed: Content validity; internal consistency (Chronbach's alpha coefficients); construct validity (Structural Equation Modeling-SEM); discriminant validity (intervention subgroup of 100 children vs. control group of 27 children). Results. Acceptable content validity of a 16-items scale and overall adequate internal consistency were revealed: Content validity index (CVI) 0.94, content validity ratio (CVR) 0.88, Chronbach's alpha 0.76. The SEM revealed a 4-factor model fitting the data well (comparative fit index 0.939, root mean square error of approximation 0.033). Discriminant validity was good (intervention group scoring higher than control, p < 0.001, unpaired Student's t-test). Conclusion. The preschool-FLAT revealed good psychometric properties, adequate validity and internal consistency. This is the only instrument in the literature specifically targeted to 3-6 years old children that could be effectively used to assess food literacy.

Effectiveness of a Physical Education Program on the Motor and Pre-literacy Skills of Preschoolers From the Training-To-Health Project: A Focus on Weight Status

“…The present study is a non-randomized trial carried out within the Training-to-Health Project, financed by the Municipality of Palermo in 2016 with the general aim of enhancing motor and cognitive skills in preschoolers, beyond other scopes, such as monitoring aspects related to these abilities (Tabacchi et al, 2020b). A team of experts from the University conducted the study and recruited physical education specialists (PESs) with previous experience in the field of motor and cognitive science in children, in order to carry out activities within the selected kindergartens.…”

The Nutrition Literacy Assessment Instrument for Italian Subjects, NLit-IT: Exploring Validity and Reliability

“…Several consequences of NL have been identified in literature and they generally constitute a group of health-related outcomes which can influence population health status and dietary habits [ 8 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ]. In the literature, there are some attempts to adequately evaluate the NL dimensions but few data concerning literacy in the fields of food and nutrition are available worldwide [ 13 , 20 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. In the Italian national context, the discussion concerning the concept of NL is almost completely absent; however, there are some examples of tools which specifically refer to the concept of FL [ 29 ] or they have been developed and validated for specific population targets [ 30 ].…”

“…In the literature, there are some attempts to adequately evaluate the NL dimensions but few data concerning literacy in the fields of food and nutrition are available worldwide [ 13 , 20 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 ]. In the Italian national context, the discussion concerning the concept of NL is almost completely absent; however, there are some examples of tools which specifically refer to the concept of FL [ 29 ] or they have been developed and validated for specific population targets [ 30 ]. Analogously, in the international context there are some examples of tools developed for specific population targets (such as, young adults, elderly individuals, children) or that have never been culturally adapted to contexts different from the original [ 14 , 20 , 23 , 27 ].…”

An Interaction Path of Mothers’ and Preschoolers’ Food- and Physical Activity-Related Aspects in Disadvantaged Sicilian Urban Areas

“…One strength of the present work is that most data were accurately collected, indeed, information on food literacy is considered highly precise as the validated preschool-FLAT was used [ 30 ]. Even though the questionnaire administered to mothers was not validated, since a gold standard for comparison does not exist in the literature, the authors tried to include questions (with proper frequency options) useful to collect the information on food intake and PA both of mothers and children needed to evaluate the correlations that explain the influence of mothers on their children’s lifestyles.…”

“…The preschool-Food Literacy Assessment Tool (FLAT), a tool developed and validated by the project team [ 30 ], was used to assess the food literacy (FL) score of children. It was administered by the project team for a total of ten hours in five sessions, which consisted of a brief oral session providing information on the food topics, and a practical session ending with an evaluation sheet compiled by the children.…”