VALIDATION OF A FOOD-HABITS QUESTIONNAIRE - POOR PERFORMANCE IN MALE MANUAL LABORERS

Object To examine the reliability and validity of a food habits questi onnaire developed by Kristal et al in male manual laborers. Design A c ross-sectional baseline survey. Setting The community of Ottawa-Carlet on, Canada. Subjects All people working in non-office-based positions for two local governments were invited to a heart-health screening cli nic. Male subjects (n=362) who met risk factor eligibility criteria we re interviewed and entered into the study. Main outcome measures The f ood habits questionnaire developed by Kristal et al was the main focus of analysis. Additional outcomes included a food frequency questionna ire and risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Statistical analyses Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's ex and Pearson correlation c oefficients;confirmatory factor analysis was also done. Validity asses sment included partial correlations. Results Low internal consistency was found for the five subscales of the questionnaire (alpha=.13 to .5 3). Confirmatory factor analysis did not reveal the postulated five-fa ctor (subscale) structure. Correlation of the subscale scores with die tary fat intake was low (r=-.09 to -.23), and none of these associatio ns were statistically significant after adjustment for age, body mass index, and education. An alternative scoring system that treated the q uestionnaire as a unidimensional behavioral checklist produced a highe r internal consistency (alpha=.70) and significant correlation with di etary fat intake (r=-.27). Conclusions The psychometric properties and scoring of the food habits questionnaire need to be explored in addit ional populations before the questionnaire is adopted for general use.