Resumo

ARAUZ HERNANDEZ, Ana Gladys; ROSELLO ARAYA, Marlene; GUZMAN PADILLA, Sonia  e  PADILLA VARGAS, Gioconda. Validation of a dietary habits questionnaire related to fats and sugars intake. ALAN [online]. 2008, vol.58, n.4, pp.392-396. ISSN 0004-0622.

The objective of this study was to design and validate a psychometric tool to measure dietary practices related to the intake of fats and sugars in a sample of overweight and obese adults. Classical test theory was applied. The validated construct was dietary habits, and the following theoretical dimensions were utilized: exclusion, modification, substitution and replacement. These had been previously defined in similar studies conducted in other countries. The tool was validated with 139 adults, males and females, with body mass indexes equal to or higher than 25. Construct validity for each section of the tool was obtained through factor analysis. The final tool was made up of 47 items. Cronbach’s Alpha reliability coefficient was 0.948, which indicates a highly satisfactory internal consistency. Using sediment graph data and factor analysis of the four proposed theoretical dimensions of behavior, items were fused into two dimensions with a cumulative variance of 58%. These were renamed “elimination” and “modification”. Cronbach’s Alphas were 0,906 and 0,873, respectively, indicating a high level of reliability for construct measurement. Results show the need to adapt foreign tools to our socio-cultural context before utilizing them in interventions intended to modify dietary patterns, since these are interrelated to other aspects of the culture itself.

Palavras-chave : Dietary habits; dimensions of dietary behavior; validation.