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The Adolescent Food Habits Checklist: reliability and validity of a measure of healthy eating behaviour in adolescents

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 56, pages 644–649 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective: Amid concerns about the quality of young people's diets, this paper describes the development of a measure of healthy eating behaviour for use with adolescents.

Design: Items for the measure were selected from a larger pool on the basis of responses from a pilot study. The 23-item checklist was validated using measures of dietary fat and fibre intake, fruit and vegetable consumption, dietary restraint, nutrition knowledge and a measure of family income.

Setting: Participants came from seven secondary schools in the north-west of England.

Subjects: A total of 1822 adolescents aged between 13 and 16 y took part in the study, representing 84% of those invited to participate.

Results: Correlations between measures indicate a good level of convergent validity, and the checklist is also shown to have high internal and test–retest reliability.

Conclusions: The focus on choices available to adolescents means that the checklist will provide a useful addition to food frequency-type approaches to the measurement of adolescent eating behaviour.

Sponsorship: This research was funded by the Medical Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council's Health Variations Programme.

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Author notes

  1. J Wardle: Guarantor: J Wardle.

  2. F Johnson, J Wardle and J Griffith: Contributors: The study was conceived and designed by all the contributors. Data were collected by FJ and JG. Interpretation of the results, statistical analyses and writing of the paper was carried out by FJ and JW. All the contributors commented on and approved the final draft.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. ICRF Health Behaviour Unit, University College, London, UK

    F Johnson, J Wardle & J Griffith

Authors
  1. F Johnson
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  2. J Wardle
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  3. J Griffith
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to J Wardle.

Appendix: The Adolescent Food Habits Checklist

Appendix: The Adolescent Food Habits Checklist

  1. 1

    If I am having lunch away from home, I often choose a low-fat option. True/False/I never have lunch away from home

  2. 2

    I usually avoid eating fried foods. True/False

  3. 3

    I usually eat a dessert or pudding if there is one available. True/False

  4. 4

    I make sure I eat at least one serving of fruit a day. True/False

  5. 5

    I try to keep my overall fat intake down. True/False

  6. 6

    If I am buying crisps, I often choose a low-fat brand. True/False/I never buy crisps

  7. 7

    I avoid eating lots of sausages and burgers. True/False/I never eat sausages or burgers

  8. 8

    I often buy pastries or cakes. True/False

  9. 9

    I try to keep my overall sugar intake down. True/False

  10. 10

    I make sure I eat at least one serving of vegetables or salad a day. True/False

  11. 11

    If I am having a dessert at home, I try to have something low in fat. True/False/I don't eat desserts

  12. 12

    I rarely eat takeaway meals. True/False

  13. 13

    I try to ensure I eat plenty of fruit and vegetables. True/False

  14. 14

    I often eat sweet snacks between meals. True/False

  15. 15

    I usually eat at least one serving of vegetables (excluding potatoes) or salad with my evening meal. True/False

  16. 16

    When I am buying a soft drink, I usually choose a diet drink. True/False/I never buy soft drinks

  17. 17

    When I put butter or margarine on bread, I usually spread it thinly. True/False/I never have butter or margarine on bread

  18. 18

    If I have a packed lunch, I usually include some chocolate and/or biscuits. True/False/I never have a packed lunch

  19. 19

    When I have a snack between meals, I often choose fruit. True/False/I never eat snacks between meals

  20. 20

    If I am having a dessert or pudding in a restaurant, I usually choose the healthiest one. True/False/I never have desserts in restaurants

  21. 21

    I often have cream on desserts. True/False/I don't eat desserts

  22. 22

    I eat at least three servings of fruit most days. True/False

  23. 23

    I generally try to have a healthy diet. True/False

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Johnson, F., Wardle, J. & Griffith, J. The Adolescent Food Habits Checklist: reliability and validity of a measure of healthy eating behaviour in adolescents. Eur J Clin Nutr 56, 644–649 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601371

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ejcn.1601371

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