Translation of child food insecurity experience scale (CFIES) into Bahasa Melayu and its validation

¹ Centre for Dietetics Studies, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Puncak Alam Campus, 42300 Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
² Maternal, Infant & Young Children Nutrition (MiChild) Research Group, Faculty of Health Sciences, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Puncak Alam Campus, 42300 Puncak Alam, Selangor, Malaysia

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Existing food insecurity surveys may not accurately capture the experiences and challenges faced by children. While the child food insecurity experience scale (CFIES) is a globally recognized tool, the absence of a validated Bahasa Melayu version hinders its application within Malaysia. This study aimed to develop a Bahasa Melayu translation of the CFIES and assess its content validity, face validity, and reliability to determine its suitability for application among children in Malaysia This cross-sectional study followed a rigorous three-phase validation protocol. Forward-backward translation was employed to ensure conceptual equivalence. Content validity was evaluated by eight subject-matter experts using the content validity index (CVI), and face validation was conducted with ten children to assess understandability using the face validity index (FVI). Finally, internal consistency was tested among 130 schoolchildren using Cronbach’s alpha. Results demonstrated tremendous content validity (S-CVI=0.95) and acceptable face validity (S-FVI clarity=0.83; understandability=0.79). The instrument demonstrated acceptable internal reliability, as indicated by a Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of 0.787. Therefore, the Malay adaptation of the CFIES is a valid and reliable instrument that provides a foundation for future research, monitoring, and intervention efforts targeting child food insecurity in Malaysia.