Reliability and validity of a General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire for adults in a Romanian population

Background: Nutritional knowledge assessment is crucial in nutrition research and policy. This study aimed to determine the validity and reliability of a nutrition knowledge questionnaire for Romanian adults. Methods: Kleimann’s General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire was adapted for Romanian context. Internal and external reliability were assessed (n₁ = 412, n₂ = 46); construct validity (n₃ = 96) used the “known-groups” method; and convergent validity (n₄ = 508) tested associations with socio-demographics. Results: Overall internal reliability was 0.878, and external reliability > 0.880. Specialists scored higher than non-specialists (very large effect size). Females, middle-aged/older adults, and those with higher education scored higher. Males, those with high school or less education, and lacking nutrition training were more prone to wrong answers. Conclusions: The Romanian version of the General Nutrition Knowledge Questionnaire is a reliable and valid tool for measuring nutrition knowledge in adults.

Salomeia Putnoky, Ancuţa Mioara Banu, Lavinia Cristina Moleriu, Sandra Putnoky, Denis Mihai Şerban, Mihai Dinu Niculescu, Costela Lăcrimioara Şerban