Translation, Adaptation, and Validity of the Short Food Literacy Questionnaire for Brazil

Abstract

Food literacy refers to the knowledge and skills related to healthy food choices. The aim of this study is to present the process of the cross-cultural adaptation and content validation of the Short Food Literacy Questionnaire (SFLQ) for the Brazilian population. The process of adaptation and validation of the SFLQ was conducted in four steps: (1) conceptual and item equivalence; (2) translation with semantic equivalence; (3) operational equivalence; (4) measurement equivalence. The study involved ten judges (food and nutrition experts) and 20 subjects (general population) in evaluating the semantic equivalence of the SFLQ. The semantic equivalence was assessed by calculating the content validity coefficient (CVC). All the items had a CVC greater than 0.80 considering all the evaluated parameters. The SFLQ has been adapted for the Brazilian context and guidelines. The adapted version of the questionnaire was referred to as the SFLQ-Br. The operational equivalence was conducted with 120 subjects using an online approach. The measurement equivalence was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis, a reliability assessment, and an instrument stability assessment. A single factor was extracted, and all the items had a factor loading of >0.40 and appropriate goodness-of-fit values. All the equivalence results show that the SFLQ-Br can be used in the Brazilian population as a reliable, consistent, and stable instrument to measure food literacy.