Development and validation of a short nutrition literacy scale for young adults

Abstract

BackgroundDue to their high media use, young adults are frequently exposed to contradictory or even erroneous nutrition information. To properly handle and critically assess nutrition information, young adults (both general population and patient populations) need adequate levels of nutrition literacy. Currently there is a lack of suitable instruments to measure nutrition literacy in young adults (18–25 years). Therefore the aim of this study was to develop and validate a Short Nutrition Literacy (S-NutLit) scale for use in this age group.MethodsDevelopment and validation of the S-NutLit consisted of six phases: (1) item generation based on literature, (2) expert assessments to evaluate content validity, (3) cognitive interviews with the target population to assess face validity and readability, (4) pre-test to reduce the number of items, (5) validation survey to assess dimensionality with exploratory factor analyses, internal reliability with Cronbach alpha, construct and criterion validity by examining associations with age, gender, education level, health literacy, general literacy, dietary behaviors and physical activity with correlations, ANOVAs, and t-tests, (6) two-week follow-up survey to assess test–retest reliability with intra-class correlations.ResultsStarting from an initial pool of 53 items, expert assessments and cognitive interviews led to the reformulation, removal, and construction of items. Young adults aged 18–25 years participated in cognitive interviews (n = 12), pre-test (n = 101), validation survey (n = 300), and reliability survey (n = 92). The final S-NutLit consisted of 11 items rated on a 5-point scale distributed across two subscales (i.e., information skills and expert skills). Cronbach alpha values ranged from 0.79 to 0.83 and intraclass correlations from 0.61–0.79 (p < 0.001). Significant associations were observed with health literacy (r = 0.27, p < 0.001), general literacy and numeracy (rs = 0.12, p = 0.046), and education level (rs = 0.13, p = 0.025).ConclusionFindings indicate that the S-NutLit is a valid and reliable tool to assess nutrition literacy among young adults. The S-NutLit fills a gap in the field by offering a short measure of nutrition literacy and may be incorporated in digital technology to support the nutrition care process.

Adaptation and Validation of the S-NutLit Scale to Assess Nutritional Literacy in the Peruvian Population

“…Concerning the model fit, it is shown that all the indicators had an excellent estimation, and only the RMSEA indicator was at an acceptable level of 0.063 [58] (see Table 5, Figure 1). Due to previous evidence by Vrinten et al [20] and the exploratory factor analysis performed (Table 3), a two-factor internal structure was considered for the confirmatory factor analysis (model 1). However, to verify the fit of the model, a unidimensional analysis of the 11 factors was performed to explain a single factor (model 2), and it was found that the model with a single factor did not achieve a good fit, so the initial model (model 1) with two factors was considered the most appropriate for the S-NutLit scale.…”

“…Studies indicate that in nutritional literacy, the information skills and expert skills are essential to ensure that people can access, understand, and use accurate and relevant nutritional information. Vrinten et al [ 20 ] states that information skills refer to the ability to find, evaluate, and use information effectively. In the context of nutritional literacy, these skills are essential for people to make informed decisions about their dietary choices and overall health.…”

“…These include a deeper understanding of scientific principles and the practical application of nutritional knowledge. People with these skills can contribute to this area, provide guidance, and make informed decisions [ 20 , 21 , 22 ]. In general, information skills provide a foundation for basic nutrition skills, while expert skills elevate a person to a level where they can apply advanced knowledge and contribute significantly to the field of nutrition.…”

Predicting willingness to consume healthy brand foods using the theory of planned behavior: the role of nutritional literacy

“…To evaluate the Nutritional Literacy (NL) variable, this study applied the short 11-item scale developed by Vrinten et al ( 120 ). To evaluate the variables of the theory of planned behavior, adaptation was proposed by Kumar et al ( 121 ), where Attitude, Subjective Norm, and Perceived Behavioral Control have three items each, and the willingness to consume foods from healthy brands has seven items ( Appendix B ).…”

Psychometric properties of the Persian version of a novel short-form nutrition literacy measurement tool for nursing students

“…Generally, Nutritional Literacy is de ned as an individual's capacity to acquire, process, and comprehend basic information and skills necessary for making appropriate nutritional decisions [10][11][12]. On the other hand, NL can also be de ned as the extent to which individuals are capable of acquiring, understanding, and accepting fundamental concepts and information related to nutrition [13]. Therefore, it is essential to assess the level of NL among healthcare professionals in order to provide necessary counseling and education in this regard.…”