Abstract
Objective: This study was conducted to develop a decisional balance scale for consuming a balanced diet in fifth and sixth grade elementary school children and to test its reliability and factorial validity.
Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted to measure the level of decisional balance among 217 fifth and sixth graders from a total of seven elementary schools using a self-administered questionnaire between April and May 2013 in A town, Ibaraki. The reliability and factorial validity of the questionnaire were estimated from the internal consistency and confirmatory factor analysis. The decisional balance score that benefits (Pros) minus the cost score (Cons) was compared by gender, grade, degree of obesity, and exercise habits.
Results: Factor analysis revealed that seven items for Pros (α=0.86) and six items for Cons (α=0.80) were effective for consuming a balanced diet. Excellent goodness-of-fit indices were obtained in confirmatory factor analysis (GFI=0.91, AGFI=0.87, CFI=0.92, RMSEA=0.08). The decisional balance score significantly differed by gender and degree of obesity (p‹0.05).
Conclusion: We developed a measure for decisional balance for consuming a balanced diet among higher grades of elementary school children and demonstrated its reliability and factorial validity.
