Cognitive Interviews for Validating the Family Nutrition Physical Activity Instrument for Korean-American Families With Young Children.

PURPOSE: Childhood obesity is a growing health concern for Korean-Americans (KA). The purpose of this study was to develop a culturally appropriate Korean-language version of the Family Nutrition Physical Activity (FNPA) instrument and evaluate its comprehensibility and cultural appropriateness of the FNPA for KAs.

DESIGN AND METHODS: The FNPA was translated into Korean and cognitive interviews were conducted with 19 KA mothers in the Chicago metropolitan area.

RESULTS: Overall, participants reported that the FNPA is easy to understand and said they had no difficulty answering items using a 4-point Likert scale. Six out of 20 items had minor revisions due to: items that were not specific enough, had confusing wording, or led to incorrect interpretations.

CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive interviews confirmed the cultural appropriateness of the translated FNPA in the KA context. It is crucial that child's age and cultural aspects of a child's household routines should be taken into consideration when the original FNPA is being used with culturally diverse populations.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Health care professionals may use the FNPA when assessing family environment in their efforts to prevent and control childhood obesity among KAs.