Como os adolescentes escolhem os alimentos que consomem? Tradução, adaptação transcultural e avaliação psicométrica do Questionário de Escolhas Alimentares para Adolescentes Brasileiros (FCQ-A-BR)

Abstract

Adolescence is a phase in which countless transformations occur and modify the individual's decision-making process. Food choices are influenced by new factors at this stage and their knowledge is necessary, as they impact food consumption and, consequently, health and quality of life. The Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) adapted for teenagers is a tool that allows knowing the reasons that guide food choices. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is to carry out the translation, cross-cultural adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the FCQ adapted for adolescents from the Spanish version into Brazilian Portuguese and to evaluate the reasons that justify the adolescents' food choices. First, a psychometric study was carried out for the translation, adaptation and psychometric evaluation of the instrument, according to the following steps according to the methodology proposed in the literature: translation, backtranslation, expert committee evaluation, pre-test 1 and 2, retest with an interval of 14 days and analysis of psychometric properties – validity and reliability. Subsequently, the final version of the Food Choice Questionnaire for adolescents (FCQ-A-BR) was applied to students aged between 14 and 19 years old, registered public schools in the city of Juiz de Fora/MG. Data were collected at the school and the participation of students was voluntary, granted after parents/guardians signed a Term of Free and Informed Consent and students signed a Term of Free and Informed Assent. The study was approved by the Institutional Research Ethics Committee (CAEE: 68601617.1.0000.5147). Statistical analyzes were conducted using SPSS® software, with the extension AMOS® and SmartPLS® . Adjustments were made to the FCQ-ABR for better understanding by the target audience and an item of the “Ethical concern” factor was eliminated. We opted for the translation of the instrument's title, with a small change in the acronym, to facilitate its recognition. The response scale was modified and face and content validity were guaranteed. The questionnaire showed acceptable values of internal consistency and test-retest reliability. The factor structure was corroborated, maintaining six factors with adequate fit indices; and the construct validity – convergent and discriminant – were confirmed. After applying the FCQ-A-BR, it was found that adolescents tend to choose their foods based on sensory characteristics, with less importance for aspects related to familiarity. In addition, food selection was different according to sex, age group, socioeconomic class, diet, weight satisfaction, cooking, food quality, physical activity and presence of overweight. It is concluded that the factor structure of the translated and adapted version of the FCQ-A-BR exhibits reliability and construct validity, suggesting the applicability of the instrument in the population of Brazilian adolescents. Furthermore, given the findings after applying the questionnaire, it is considered necessary to increase our understanding of the reasons why adolescents make their food choices so that appropriate actions and strategies are directed towards this population.