Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

School of Nutrition and Food Sciences

Document Type

Dissertation

Abstract

The Eating and Food Literacy Behaviors Questionnaire (EFLBQ) was developed, and its validity, reliability, and ability to measure construct changes was established. Items related to the originally proposed domains of food literacy were included in the initial questionnaire, however five, new components were discovered. The second version of the EFLBQ was tested with 257 young adult university students using exploratory factor analysis, and a five-factor model (R2=57.4%) was returned. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were calculated (health and nutrition=0.89, taste=0.72, food preparation=0.77, planning /decision-making=0.64, and convenience=0.63). A confirmatory factor analysis, with 923 new responses provided evidence of an adequate fit for the proposed five-factor model (=588.05 (142), RMSEA=0.06, CFI=0.98, TLI=0.97, SRMR=0.05). The EFLBQ was administered to 67 different students two weeks apart and evaluated using a test-retest procedure. Pearson’s r correlation coefficients demonstrated that the instrument was reliable over time (health and nutrition=0.92, taste=0.75, food preparation=0.74, planning/decision-making=0.63, and convenience=0.69).

In a second study, the EFLBQ’s ability to measure change in young adult’s health and nutrition, taste, food preparation, planning/decision-making, and convenience behaviors following participation in a four-week intervention program was assessed. Sixteen veterinary medicine students completed the Eating with Ease curriculum that was offered once per week for four weeks and included 30-minute sessions that emphasized each of the EFLBQ’s factors. Twelve graduate students participated in a control group that did not receive the intervention. Both groups completed the EFBLQ pre- and post-program. Significant improvements in health and nutrition (pre-Mdn=2.9 to post-Mdn=2.9, Z=2.222, p=0.026, r=0.555) and food preparation (pre-Mdn=2.8 to post-Mdn=3.0, Z= 2.155, p=0.031, r=0.539) behaviors scores were noted in the intervention group. No differences were detected between change in EFLBQ factor scores between the intervention and control groups.

These findings support the EFLBQ’s validity, reliability, and ability to measure changes in its factors. The results also suggest that the Eating with Ease Program promotes change in factors related to food literacy. Future studies are needed to validate the EFLBQ with larger, more diverse populations and to determine if the EFBLQ scores correlate with dietary quality.

Date

7-1-2019

Committee Chair

Tuuri, Georgianna

DOI

10.31390/gradschool_dissertations.5007

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