To develop and validate a context-specific comprehensive knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) questionnaire for literate mothers on factors affecting micronutrient status of 6–10-year-old children.

Sequential exploratory mixed-methods study using focus group discussions (FGD) and psychometric validation.

Seven randomly selected villages with >500 households with three to five family members each, in Ghatkesar sub-district, Medchal district, Telangana state, India.

Literate mothers from middle-income households with at least one child (6–10 years) for FGD (n 44), for testing the internal consistency (n 80) and for test–retest reliability (n 30).

The themes for FGD were diet diversity, micronutrients, cooking and eating practices, national programmes and sunlight exposure. Knowledge among caregivers about sources of micronutrients, deficiency symptoms, cooking/eating practices was low, while attitude towards diet diversity and sunlight was good. Non-availability of fruits and vegetables was a barrier to diet diversity. About 72 % of the questions from the item pool were based on FGD. After content validity, 125 items were selected for the questionnaire which, upon psychometric validation, was reduced to an eighty-eight-item questionnaire with difficulty index of 0·10–0·91, discrimination index of 0·09–0·68, Cronbach’s α of 0·78 (reliability of knowledge and attitude) and 0·50 (practice). A Bland–Altman plot showed good agreement between test and retest scores.

The questionnaire developed and validated using a sequential exploratory mixed-methods approach can be used for assessing KAP on micronutrients and factors affecting consumption of diverse diets in rural Indian households.

To compare the Health Star Rating (HSR) and the nutritional profile of branded and generic packaged foods in Australia.

In-store audits of packaged food products capturing data on HSR and nutritional content to analyse differences between branded and generic foods across ten food categories.

The audit was conducted in four major supermarket chains across various locations within metropolitan Sydney regions, Australia.

A total of 6269 products were analysed with 57 % of generic products and 28 % of branded products displaying an HSR. The median HSR of branded products was significantly greater than for generic products overall (4·0 v. 3·5, P<0·005) and in six out of ten food categories (P<0·005). However, when branded products could be matched to their generic counterparts for paired comparisons (n 146), no statistical difference was observed in all ten food categories. Branded products that chose to display an HSR had significantly lower saturated fat and Na, but higher fibre contents than branded products not displaying an HSR.

Our data show no difference in the HSR or nutrient profiles of similar branded and generic products that display HSR. Branded products appear to exploit the voluntary nature of the HSR scheme, preferentially displaying an HSR on healthier products compared with their generic counterparts.