Scale of Estimation and Consumption of Foods in Children: Evaluation of their psychometric properties

Abstract

The strategies to reduce overweight and obesity have not had the expected impact. It is necessary to develop greater knowledge regard food estimation and intake frequency. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of an instrument aimed at the evaluation of meals (EM) and its intake frequency (IFR) in children. A total of 1,090 9-year-old boys and girls from the South region of Jalisco (Mexico) answered the Scale of Estimation and Consumption of Foods in Children, which consists of two sections: EM and IFR. The exploratory factor analysis carried out with 545 participants derived three factors for each section, which were subsequently corroborated based on two confirmatory factor analyses, one per section, performed with the second half of the sample (n = 545). Both models registered some goodness of fit indexes. The final version of the scale, with 23 items, showed appropriate internal consistency in its both sections: EM (α = .86) and IFR (α = .84). The need to extend the analysis of the psychometric properties of the scale in children from other regions of the country is discussed.