Validating a Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire (QuesCa) for Arabic-Speaking Children Aged 9-15 Years: Translation and Cultural Adaptation

<ns3:p>Background a valid measurement tool is required to assess the nutrition knowledge of children. The questionnaire of nutrition knowledge (QuesCa) has so far not been in use in Arabic-speaking populations. The objective of this study was to validate the Arabic version of the QuesCa questionnaire in a sample of Arabic-speaking children. Methods this is a cross-sectional study which envolved 524 preadolescents and teenagers, with 315 participants aged between 9 and 11 years and 209 participants aged between 12 and 15 years. Children were recruited from the national centre for school and university medicine in Tunis and from randomly selected school nurseries. Results The adapted QuesCa AR comprised 9 items for children aged 9-11 and 12-15, which included traditional African foods. The 9-item QuesCa 9-11 AR scale showed a low internal consistency reliability (Cronbach alpha for the total scale was 0.337). The overall Cronbach’s alpha value of the QuesCA 12-15 AR obtained was 0.284 for the 9 items. The multivariate analysis specific to the 9-11 age group showed that neither gender nor socio-economic level, nor affiliation to a public or private institution could predict the level of nutritional knowledge among Tunisian children aged 9 to 11. However, it did show an association between a good level of nutritional knowledge in Tunisian children aged 12 to 15 years with having a good socioeconomic level and being educated in a private institution. Conclusions The QuesCa AR’s inclusion of traditional African foods makes it a tool for researchers in Arab countries to assess nutrition knowledge levels.</ns3:p>