Reliability of parental and self–reported determinants of fruit and vegetable intake among 6th graders

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To assess the reliability of newly developed questionnaires measuring theoretical constructs believed to predict fruit and vegetable consumption among 6th-grade pupils.DESIGN: Participating pupils and parents completed questionnaires twice, 14 days apart.SETTING: One hundred and twenty-nine pupils from 6th-grade classes (average age: 11.9 years) at two schools in Norway and their parents were invited to participate.RESULTS: The test-retest reliability was found to be good or very good for scales reported both by the pupils and their parents. All scales showed acceptable to strong correlations between time 1 and time 2, and only one scale had significant different mean values at the two times. The internal consistency reliability of the scales was acceptable to good.CONCLUSIONS: Sixth graders and their parents are able to provide reliable reports on theoretical determinants of the pupil's fruit and vegetable consumption.