Description

The Maternal Beverage Intake (BEVQ-15) is a brief questionnaire adapted from the original Beverage Intake Questionnaire (BEVQ-15) developed by Hedrick et al. (2012) to assess habitual beverage consumption patterns and beverage-related energy intake. The original BEVQ-15 is a 15-item, self-administered, quantitative food frequency questionnaire designed to measure how often and how much of various beverages (including water, milk, sugar-sweetened beverages, diet drinks, and alcohol) are consumed over the past month. It was created as a shorter, lower-literacy alternative to the BEVQ-19 and validated for rapid assessment of total beverage and sugar-sweetened beverage intake in adults. The version included in this repository is an adapted measure used within the Family Spirit Nurture (FSN) and Family Spirit Strengths (FSS) programs to examine beverage intake among mothers and primary caregivers of young children in Indigenous communities.

AI/AN Communities where the measure has been used

Southwest tribal communities; Upper Midwest

Demographics of AI/AN participants where the scale has been used

Women ages 14+ with young children.

Notes on adaptations or modifications

  1. Added items about intake of unsweetened or sweetened nut milks
  2. Added items on type of creamer/milk used in tea or coffee
  3. Added items about artificial sweetener or sugar use in tea/coffee
  4. Removed three items on alcoholic beverage intake
  5. Omitted questions about quantity of each beverage consumed
  6. Original BEVQ-19 → BEVQ-15 reduction (from Hedrick et al., 2012):
    • Removed vegetable juice, mixed alcoholic drinks, and meal replacement drinks categories
    • Combined beer and light beer into one category
    • Added clarifying instructions: exclude beverages used in cooking; count milk added to coffee/tea only under “tea/coffee with cream”; added “sports drinks” as an example under “energy drinks”
    • Alternating shaded rows and dual units (fluid ounces and cups) added to improve accuracy and comprehension

Modality and administration

Self-report; typically administered via paper form or electronic survey (tablet, laptop, or REDCap).

Scoring

In the original measure, respondents mark both frequency (“Never or less than once per week” → “3+ times per day”) and amount (“< 6 fl oz” → “> 20 fl oz”) for each beverage type. Beverage energy and volume are estimated by assigning midpoints to frequency and quantity categories, converting to daily intakes (grams and kilocalories) using beverage-specific nutrient values. Composite variables include total beverage grams, total beverage energy, total SSB grams, and total SSB energy.

Note: Complete scoring instructions are available upon request from the corresponding author (Hedrick et al., 2012).

Psychometric evidence

  • Internal consistency (Cronbach’s α): 0.97–0.99 across beverage outcomes
  • Test–retest reliability: r = 0.96–0.99 compared with BEVQ-19
  • Demonstrated strong factorial validity and readability appropriate for ≥ 4th-grade education

Citation(s)

Original Citation:

    • Hedrick, V. E., Savla, J., Comber, D. L., Flack, K. D., Estabrooks, P. A., Nsiah-Kumi, P. A., Ortmeier, S., & Davy, B. M. (2012). Development of a brief questionnaire to assess habitual beverage intake (BEVQ-15): Sugar-sweetened beverages and total beverage energy intake. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 112(6), 840–849. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2012.01.023

Example Use Citation:

    • Lora, K. R., Davy, B., Hedrick, V., Ferris, A. M., Anderson, M. P., & Wakefield, D. (2016). Assessing initial validity and reliability of a beverage intake questionnaire in Hispanic preschool-aged children. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 116(12), 1951–1960. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2016.06.376
    • Ingalls, A., Rosenstock, S., Foy Cuddy, R., Neault, N., Yessilth, S., Goklish, N., Nelson, L., Reid, R., & Barlow, A. (2019).Family Spirit Nurture (FSN) – a randomized controlled trial to prevent early childhood obesity in American Indian populations: Trial rationale and study protocol. BMC Obesity, 6, 18. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40608-019-0233-9

Disclaimer: The included citations are not exhaustive, but represent the examples we had access to. If you are an original author or have other work that could be included here, please contact us.