Development Of A Valid And Reliable Nutrition Knowledge Assessment Questionnaire For Fitness Professionals

Abstract

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable nutrition knowledge assessment instrument for fitness professionals. Methods. A three-phase design was used in the development and testing of the questionnaire. Phase I involved developing the questionnaire item pool and ensuring content validity. An initial 44-item questionnaire was developed included questions relating to primary areas of nutritional knowledge required of fitness. Content decisions were based on the review of fitness professional job responsibilities, basic nutrition knowledge, topics typically covered in personal training certification manuals, and other resources. Phase II involved testing the questionnaire for clarity, accuracy, and interpretability. Eleven male and 14 female undergraduate students from a sports nutrition class as well as 6 male and 5 female fitness professionals answered the questions in the questionnaire, and provided comments on the appropriateness, clarity, accuracy, and interpretability of the questions. Question performance and qualitative comments resulted in the rewording or elimination of some questions. Phase III involved testing the validity and reliability of the 44-item questionnaire. Results from 13 male and 14 female students from an advanced nutrition class, as well as 21 males and 21 females from a drugs and society class were analyzed to determine construct validity, internal reliability, and test-retest reliability. Results. Nutrition students performed significantly better than non-nutrition students (p < 0.001) on all sections of the test except in the practical application section. The Kuder-Richardson internal reliability correlations for general knowledge, dietary supplement, weight gain/loss, practical application, and overall test scores were 0.93, 0.99, 0.96, 0.93, and 0.99 respectively. The Pearson correlation coefficient of test-retest reliability for the general knowledge, dietary supplement, weight gain/loss, practical application, and overall test scores were 0.67, 0.76, 0.67, 0.38, and 0.83 respectively. Conclusions. The results of this study indicate that the questionnaire is valid and a reliable instrument for measuring nutrition knowledge of fitness professionals. The test's ability to assess the practical application of knowledge maybe limited.