Development and Validation of the Sugar-sweetened Beverages Knowledge Questionnaire (SSBKQ) for Undergraduate Students

Excess sugar consumption is associated with numerous health concerns and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) represent a common source of excess sugar consumption that may be influenced by consumer knowledge of sugar and SSB. Few, if any, reliable and valid published measures of Thai SSB knowledge exist, however. This study aimed to develop and validate the sugar-sweetened beverages knowledge questionnaire (SSBKQ) to be appropriate for use with undergraduate students in Thai contexts. The items were created from reviewed literature and interviews with six members of the population. A sample of 402 undergraduate students aged between 17- 25 from three universities in Bangkok was recruited to respond the SSBKQ questionnaire and measures of SSB attitudes, SSB intentions, and SSB consumption. The final version of the SSBKQ containing 18 items demonstrated adequate internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = .70) and good two week test-retest reliability (r = .71) with evidence supporting criterion validity. SSBKQ scores were significantly (p < .05) and inversely correlated with SSB attitudes, SSB intentions, and self-reported SSB consumption, respectively. The results support the psychometric properties of the SSBKQ for research use with Thai undergraduate students