Developing Effective Wording and Format Options for a Children's Nutrition Behavior Questionnaire for Mothers of Children in Kindergarten

By ORC Macro. ERS project representative: Elizabeth Frazão

Contractor and Cooperator Report No. (CCR10) 108 pp, August 2005

This study focuses on a set of eating habit questions proposed for inclusion in the U.S. Department of Education's Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey, Birth Cohort. The study assesses the wording and format of a series of questions for mothers of children in kindergarten and/or first grade regarding the child's food consumption habits. Most mothers were able to answer questions on their child's eating habits by using a variety of recall strategies or by using references. Most mothers used recall strategies, such as the recall of preferences and special events or a child's specific likes or dislikes. They also used references, such as the presence of a menu or snacking policies at school. Mothers did not generally struggle with terminology, but some words and concepts required clarification. The biggest problem in answering the questions was the combination of not remembering what foods were eaten and the desire to reflect socially acceptable and beneficial eating behaviors.

Keywords: Dietary habits, children, nutrition, survey, ECLS, Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey, Birth Cohort, mother's recall, diet quality, Food Assistance and Nutrition Research Program, FANRP, ERS, USDA

In this report ...

Chapters are in Adobe Acrobat PDF format.

• Abstract, Contents, and Executive Summary, 147 kb
• Introduction to the Research, 18 kb
• Overview of the Research Design, 79 kb
• A Summary Description of the Research Methodology Employed, 22 kb
• Development of the Study Guides, 15 kb
• Study Findings: Wave 1, 176 kb
• Study Findings: Wave 2, 161 kb
• Conclusions and Recommendations, 119 kb
• Appendix A: Wave 1 Data Collection Guides, 192 kb
• Appendix B: Wave 2 Data Collection Guides, 244 kb

• Entire Document, 1,089 kb

Updated date: August 15, 2005