Psychometric Evaluation of the Persian Version of Adult Food Preferences Questionnaire (FPQ-Adult)

Abstract

Background: Preferences for consuming food items as determinants of food choices are significantly associated with diet-and health related outcomes in adulthood. Objectives: The aim of the present study was to culturally adapt and investigate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of food preferences questionnaire (FPQ-adult) among Iranian adults. Methods: This methodological cross-sectional study was conducted among 522 Persian-speaking adults, living in Isfahan, Iran. Translation of the FPQ was performed using forward-backward method. Intraclass correlation (ICC) and Cronbach alpha were used to assess test-retest reliability and internal consistency, respectively. Construct validity was investigated by using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Known group validity was assessed by using independent samples t test and analysis of variance. Convergent validity was determined using correlation analysis. Results: The internal and test-retest reliabilities for the FPQ-adult were in the range of moderate to excellent in all domains (intraclass correlation: 0.62-0.93; Cronbach alpha: 0.54-0.90). Construct validity led to extraction of 9 factors (fruit, vegetables, snacks, cereals-based dishes, rice and bread, processed dairy products and condiments, animal protein, fresh dairy products, and miscellaneous foods), explaining 41.73 of the total variance. The mean scores of fruits, vegetable, cereals-based dishes, and animal protein dimensions were significantly different between participants with elevated compared with low anxiety and depression scores, indicating good known-group validity. These 4 dimensions showed a significant positive correlation with age. Conclusions: The Persian version of the FPQ-adult demonstrated moderate to excellent test-retest reliability and acceptable to good internal consistency across all domains. The extracted factor structure supported construct validity, and significant differences in food preference dimensions between participants with elevated compared with low anxiety or depression scores confirmed known-group validity. These findings indicate that the Persian FPQ-adult has adequate psychometric properties for assessing food preferences in Persian speaking community-dwelling adults.