Evaluating the Dietary Guidelines: the Development of an Evaluation Tool

Date of Graduation

Fall 2006

Degree

Master of Science in Health Promotion and Wellness Management

Department

Public Health and Sports Medicine

Committee Chair

James Downing

Abstract

This study developed a questionnaire of dietary behavior which determines adherence to the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines, while remaining concise. Previous research indicates that no previous assessment tools were able to both accurately assess dietary behaviors while maintaining brevity. A 26 item questionnaire was developed by the researcher and validated by a panel of experts. Participants included 412 students, ages 18-22 enrolled in Fitness for Life at Missouri State University. The results from factor analysis with orthogonal rotation and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure imply that the questionnaire was both a valid and reliable assessment tool. Six factors resulted from the data analysis: vegetable/fruit, meat, healthy choices, unhealthy choices, dairy, and grains. These factors support the findings and recommendations of the Dietary guidelines.

Keywords

dietary guidelines, dietary behavior, assessment tool, validity

Subject Categories

Health and Medical Administration

Copyright

© Jonathan Mooney

Citation-only

Dissertation/Thesis

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