Revising the Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire Used in Planning Preventive Overweight, Obesity, and Underweight Programs for 2–5‑year‑old Children

Abstract

Background: Overweight, obesity, and underweight are common child health problems in Iran. Child‑feeding practices are one of the major factors affecting children’s weight through eating behavior and dietary intake. The Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire (CFPQ), a 49‑item measure comprising 12 subscales, assesses parental child‑feeding practices. It is used to determine
factors that may affect the development of overweight, obesity, and underweight and therefore, helps us plan appropriate preventive action. The aim of this study was to revise and adapt CFPQ to be used for 2–5‑year‑old children.

Methods: This study including, 300 mothers selected by simple systematic random sampling, was conducted in the rural and urban areas of Birjand city, Iran. Health workers interviewed the mothers and completed questionnaire according to the standard protocol. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA), tests for internal consistency, and test–retest reliability were conducted.

Results: EFA resulted in a final questionnaire with 39 items distributed over
seven factors, including Healthy Eating Guidance, Modeling, Parent Pressure, Monitoring, Emotion Regulation, Child Control, and Restriction. The internal consistency reliability for the proposal scales was acceptable for five out of the seven factors and all of the seven factors demonstrated excellent test–retest reliability.

Conclusions: The revised CFPQ is a valid tool for determining the various
aspects of parental feeding practices aiming to prevent overweight, obesity, and underweight among 2–5‑year‑old children.

Keywords: Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire, feeding behaviors, feeding practices,
validation studies