Background: Nutrition literacy is an emerging term which is increasingly used in policy and research. Progression is limited by the lack of an accepted method to measure nutrition literacy in Chinese adults, even as research in this area is growing.
Objective: The objective of this study is to develop a valid instrument to assess nutrition literacy in Chinese adults.
Methods: The process involved 2 steps: constructed nutrition literacy conceptual framework, and developed potential items of scale based on literature review; and conducted 2 rounds of Delphi consultation to select items of the preliminary questionnaire.
Results: In the Delphi survey, the content validity index for each domain, level, and dimension of nutrition literacy was 1.0, coefficient of variation was less than 0.10, and Kendall's coefficient of concordance was greater than 0.83. All of the 2 domains, 3 levels, and 6 dimensions initially formulated by our research team were reserved in the conceptual framework of nutrition literacy. Furthermore, a 43-item nutrition literacy measurement scale was established. Each item kept in the final scale reaches a high degree of concentration and a high degree of coordination, with the mean of importance ranging from 4.38 to 5.00.
Conclusions: A nutrition literacy measurement scale with multiple features was established for Chinese adults, providing an operationalized tool to assess comprehensively nutrition literacy for research and practice in the field of nutrition, diet, and health.
Keywords: Chinese adult; Delphi method; multiple features; nutrition literacy.