Validation of a Questionnaire to Evaluate the Home Cooking Skills of Nutrition Professionals and the General Population (HCSQ-ITA)

Unbalanced food choices are a major determinant of the global disease burden, with one in five deaths worldwide attributable to an inadequate diet. Food patterns characterized by reduced consumption of whole grains, fruits, vegetables, dried fruit, and legumes, along with excessive sodium, red or processed meats, and sugary foods, are associated with a high risk of developing chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and diabetes. High adherence to healthy dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean Diet, is associated with a lower risk of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, and cognitive decline. However, global populations are gradually reducing their adherence to this dietary pattern, preferring diets rich in saturated fats and animal-derived protein. This phenomenon, known as the nutritional transition, is associated with a concomitant culinary transition, a progressive change in cooking skills required for home-made meals. Improving culinary skills can have a positive impact on food choices and the quality of the diet. Nutrition professionals can play a crucial role in promoting food and nutrition education initiatives and actions, providing practical experiences and suggestions to help change eating habits. The study aims to validate the Primary Health Care Home Cooking Skills Scale, already validated in Brazil; tool for a representative sample of the general population and nutrition professionals in Italy.

The process of validation will include several stages: (1) the validated Brazilian questionnaire will be translated and adapted to the content. After this, the (2) validation of the content will follow Delphi's technique, and then (2) analysis of the validity and (3) reliability of the construction, through the factor analysis.