J Nutr Health.  2016 Oct;49(5):378-394. 10.4163/jnh.2016.49.5.378.

Development of nutrition quotient for Korean preschoolers (NQ-P): Item selection and validation of factor structure

• Lee JS
• Kang MH
• Kwak TK
• Chung HR
• Kwon S
• Kim HY
• Hwang JY
• Choi YS

• KMID: 2357140
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4163/jnh.2016.49.5.378

Abstract

PURPOSE
Screening of preschool-age children for nutrition programs to improve dietary intake and behaviors requires cost-effective and easily administered validated assessment tools. The purpose of this study was to develop a parent/caregiver-administered instrument for measuring diet quality and behaviors of preschoolers as a nutrition quotient for preschoolers (NQ-P).
METHODS
Development of NQ-P was carried out in three steps: item generation, item reduction, and validation. The 24-h dietary record was selected as the gold standard reference tool. The 38 items of the NQ-P checklist were derived from a systematic literature review, expert in-depth interviews, statistical analysis of the fifth Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data, and national nutrition policies and recommendations. Self-administered questionnaires were delivered to parents who recorded 24-h dietary intakes of 100 responders aged 3~5 yr. Pearson's correlation was used to measure the level of agreement between questionnaires. Item reduction was performed, and 20 items were selected based on survey results, expert reviews, and priorities of national nutrition policy and recommendations. The 412 nationwide subjects sampled through daycare centers completed the 20-item checklist questionnaire. The construct validity of the NQ-P was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis, LISREL.
RESULTS
After analyses of exploratory factors, NQ-P items identified three dimensions of diet (balance, moderation, and environment). The three-factor structure accounted for 49.28% of the total variance. Standardized path coefficients were used as weights of the items. The NQ-P and three-factor scores of the subjects were calculated by the obtained weights of the questionnaire items.
CONCLUSION
A food behavior checklist for preschoolers' NQ would be a useful and suitable instrument for evaluating nutrition adequacy and dietary quality of Korean preschoolers.

Keyword

preschoolers' nutrition quotient (NQ-P); food behavior; dietary quality; checklist

MeSH Terms

Checklist
Child
Diet
Diet Records
Humans
Mass Screening
Nutrition Policy
Nutrition Surveys
Parents
Weights and Measures

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Process of NQ-P development. 1) FBC, food behavior checklist; 2) DR, dietary record

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  Fig. 2 Comparison of percentage of nutrient intake of the children to recommended nutrient intake (RNI) or adequate intake (AI) according to NQ-P score four-grade criterion of samples from the pilot survey. a b : Different alphabets indicate significant differences by Duncan's multiple test (p < 0.05).

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