Introduction: Recent national surveys have demonstrated a decrease in the consumption of traditional food and a parallel increase in the consumption of ultraprocessed food, which has contributed to a rise in obesity prevalence in all age groups.
Introduction: Recent national surveys have demonstrated a decrease in the consumption of traditional food and a parallel increase in the consumption of ultraprocessed food, which has contributed to a rise in obesity prevalence in all age groups. It is well-known that environmental factors, especially familial factors, have a strong influence on the food intake of preschool children, and this has led to the development of psychometric scales to measure parents’ feeding practices. Objectives: To test the validity of a translated and adapted Comprehensive Feeding Practices Questionnaire (CFPQ) in a large sample of Brazilian parents of 2-to-5 year old children enrolled in private schools. Methods: A transcultural adaptation process was performed in order to develop a modified, self-administered questionnaire. After piloting, the questionnaire was sent to parents, along with additional questions about family characteristics. Additionally, test-retest reliability was assessed in one of the selected schools. Data was double-entered and factor analysis with oblique rotation was performed. Internal validity was tested using Cronbach’s alpha and correlations between factors, item-discriminant validity using two marker variables of child’s food intake and nutritional status (Mann-Whitney test), and convergent validity via correlations with parents’ weight-related perceptions. Results and Conclusions: The final sample consisted of 402 preschool children. Factor analysis resulted in a final model of 43 items distributed over 6 factors (Healthy Eating Guidance, Monitoring, Emotion Regulation/Food as Reward, Restriction of Weight Control, Restriction for Health, and Pressure). Cronbach α values were adequate (0.74 to 0.88), between-factor correlations were low, and item-discriminant validity and convergent validity were acceptable. The CFPQ demonstrated significant internal and external validity in this urban Brazilian sample. Scale validation within different cultures is essential to generate a more comprehensive understanding of parental feeding practices for preschoolers.