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In order to determine the value and impact of nutrition education programs or activities, it is crucial to have access to valid and reliable evaluation instruments. Validity indicates the degree to which an instrument actually measures what it purports to measure; the accuracy of the measurement. Reliability indicates the degree to which the instrument will yield the same results consistently over many uses.
The purpose of this research was to begin building a valid and reliable survey tool designed to measure behaviours, attitudes and nutrition knowledge (BANKS) in the Canadian population knowing that the final survey may actually take years to finalize.
The process of evaluating the accuracy of the BANKS assessment tool began with experts/judges representing educational expertise in the field of nutrition. New concepts were identified as important factors for inclusion, such as knowledge of fluid intake and physical activity levels. Items to address this content were added to the tool. Final expert/judge consensus was reached on all scale items providing a measure of content accuracy for the Canadian BANKS tool. In order to address the reliability of the Canadian BANKS tool, post-secondary students completed the survey before and after an introductory nutrition course.
Reliability was evaluated as an element of the within survey response. Consistency (reliability) was determined and initial analysis of the Canadian BANKS tool indicates that it bears a strong degree of reliability. Future work on this scale will require item refinement and higher level evaluation of validity.