Validation of NUTRENTO web app for teachers to assess healthy food environment practices in Mexican schools

In countries such as Mexico, where childhood obesity remains a pressing public health concern, schools are crucial environments for promoting healthy eating habits among children. Although national policies exist to improve school food environments, their implementation at the local level often lacks monitoring and support. Teachers are essential actors in translating these policies into everyday practices. However, validated tools for identifying and strengthening healthy food environments are lacking. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a progressive web application aimed at primary school teachers to identify the level of actions and elements that foster healthy school food environments in Mexico. A questionnaire based on ecosocial theory was developed and validated by expert judgment, covering seven dimensions related to healthy school food environments. A progressive web application (PWA) was developed, which included its own content management system (CMS). A total of 1462 teachers from 123 randomly selected schools completed the questionnaire using computers or mobile devices. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) methods were employed to validate the scale. Results. From the CMS, 970 complete responses were retrieved for 52 content-validated items. In the EFA, there were six factors for 36 items, indicating excellent sampling adequacy (KMO> 0.8). CFA indicated excellent model fit (CFI = 0.95, TLI = 0.945, RMSEA = 0.045, SRMR = 0.059). Cronbach’s alpha values ranged from 0.80 to 0.95, confirming internal consistency. The app represents the first validated digital tool in Mexico with open access for any device. The PWA is a large-scale instrument that provides real-time data to identify teachers’ roles as mediators of the school food environment, helping prioritize and monitor interventions within schools.