TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose Children’s cooking abilities are correlated with increased self-efficacy (SE) for selecting healthy foods and increased consumption of fruits and vegetables. Instruments that measure outcomes of nutrition education programs require psychometric assessment for face validity. Survey items related to cooking experience (CE), SE, and attitude used in a school-based cooking program were assessed for face validity. The paper aims to discuss these issues.Design/methodology/approach Cognitive interviews were conducted with children who had completed third to fifth grades in Northern Colorado, USA. Interviews were examined using content analysis to derive categories for children’s concepts of cooking and making food and to assess survey item comprehension.Findings In total, 24 children participated. Most were white, non-Hispanic/Latino and half had most recently completed fourth grade. Categories related to “making food” and “cooking” included foods prepared with and without a heat source, baked goods/desserts, and activities used in meal/food preparation. Most participants comprehended the survey items and provided responses that were congruent with operational definitions established from identified themes, demonstrating face validity with this sample.Practical implications Children’s concepts of “cooking,” although robust, show interpersonal variation requiring a prudent approach toward intervention evaluation and supporting use of these face valid survey items. Consider revisions of survey items that add frequency qualifiers and explicit cooking examples as appropriate.Originality/value This study addresses a gap in the literature on children’s understanding of cooking and offers face valid survey items to measure CEs, skill, and attitudes.
VL  - 119
IS  - 5
SN  - 0007-070X
DO  - 10.1108/BFJ-09-2016-0447
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-09-2016-0447
AU  - Wayman Elizabeth
AU  - Komine Tessa
AU  - Lohse Barbara
AU  - Cunningham-Sabo Leslie
PY  - 2017
Y1  - 2017/01/01
TI  - School-age cooking program assessment has face validity
T2  - British Food Journal
PB  - Emerald Publishing Limited
SP  - 1017
EP  - 1027
Y2  - 2024/04/25
ER  -