Food Literacy Evaluation Questionnaire (Chinese version, FLEQ-Ch): a validity and cross-cultural adaptation

Objective To conduct a Food Literacy Evaluation Questionnaire Chinese Version (FLEQ-Ch) through a cross-cultural validation of the original questionnaire. Design This was an observational, cross-sectional study undertaken in two phases: (1) translation and cross-culture adaptation, and (2) psychometric evaluation. Sample A total of 509 residents in Yangzhou City, China were enrolled in this study. Methods A translation and cross-cultural adaptation of the FLEQ in Chinese was developed. The psychometric characteristics of FLEQ-Ch were analyzed for internal consistency, content validity, construct validity and discriminant validity. Results The KMO value of the questionnaire was 0.901 and the approximate chi-square value of Bartlett's sphericity test was 8132.538. The ranges of the Cronbach's alpha coefficient and the test-retest coefficient of the total questionnaire and three dimensions were 0.869-0.955 and 0.941-0.952, respectively. The value of content validity index of the total questionnaire was 0.945. Construct validity: (1) Aggregation coefficient was between 0.828 and 0.955; (2) Discrimination coefficient was between 0.004 and 0.227; (3) Correlation coefficient between each factor was between 0.046 and 0.188; the correlation coefficient between each factor and the total questionnaire ranged from 0.419 to 0.788. Discriminant validity: the standardized factor loadings of all items on the corresponding factors were 0.75-0.96. The results of the model-fit indices showed RMSEA was 0.08 and GFI was 0.91. Conclusions The FLEQ-Ch can effectively evaluate the food literacy of the general public in terms of foods planning and management, foods selection, and foods-making attitudes. It covers the four areas of food literacy, and shows good practicability and operability.