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

Abstract 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 α 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.