Validity and Reliability of the Persian Version of the Council on Nutrition Appetite Questionnaire and Its Simplified Version in Iranian Community-Dwelling Older Adults

It is important to use a valid and reliable tool to measure appetite in practice and clinical research. This study aims to evaluate the characteristics, reliability, and validity of the Persian version of the Council on Nutrition Appetite Questionnaire (CNAQ) and Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire (SNAQ).

After assessing the content validity of CNAQ and SNAQ questionnaires by both a group of experts and participants, the reliability and validity of the Persian version of these questionnaires among 250 community-dwelling elderlies (≥ 65 years, non-hospitalized in nursing homes or hospitals) were assessed. Pearson’s correlation coefficient between the appetite questionnaires and Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), weight, and body mass index (BMI) were evaluated. In addition, the internal reliability of the SNAQ and CNAQ was evaluated by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Factor analysis was also performed.

According to CNAQ, 142 (56.8%) participants and according to SNAQ, 124 (49.6%) participants had poor appetite (P = 0.0001). Both CNAQ and SNAQ were significantly associated with the MNA score (r = 0.57 and 0.64, respectively, P = 0.001). Appetite also had a significant, but moderate correlation with weight (r = 0.38 and 0.31 for CNAQ and SNAQ, respectively) and BMI (r = 0.39 and 0.36 for CNAQ and SNAQ, respectively), and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.74 for CNAQ and 0.70 for SNAQ. The confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) demonstrated that the CNAQ and SNAQ were both constructed of one factor (appetite).

The Iranian version of CNAQ and SNAQ are both simple and applicable tools to assess the appetite of Iranian community-dwelling older adults.