Abstract

Citation

Boles RE, Burdell A, Johnson SL, Gavin WJ, Davies PL, Bellows LL. Home food and activity assessment. Development and validation of an instrument for diverse families of young children. Appetite 2014 Sep;80:23-7. Epub 2014 May 2.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to refine and psychometrically test an instrument measuring the home food and activity environment of geographically and economically diverse families of preschool aged children. Caregivers of preschool aged children (n = 83) completed a modified self-report questionnaire. Reliably trained researchers conducted independent observations on 25 randomly selected homes. Agreement statistics were conducted at the item level (154 total items) to determine reliability. Frequency counts were calculated to identify item availability. Results showed Kappa statistics were high (.67-1.00) between independent researchers but varied between researchers and parents resulting in 85 items achieving criterion validity (Kappa >.60). Analyses of reliable items revealed the presence in the home of a high frequency of unhealthy snack foods, high fat milk and low frequency of availability of fruits/vegetables and low fat milk. Fifty-two percent of the homes were arranged with a television in the preschool child's bedroom. Physical Activity devices also were found to have high frequency availability. Families reporting lower education reported higher levels of sugar sweetened beverages and less low-fat dairy (p < .05) compared with higher education families. Low-income families (<$27K per year) reported significantly fewer Physical Activity devices (p < .001) compared with higher income families. Hispanic families reported significantly higher numbers of Sedentary Devices (p < .05) compared with non-Hispanic families. There were no significant differences between demographic comparisons on available fruits/vegetables, meats, whole grains, and regular fat dairy. A modified home food and activity instrument was found to reliably identify foods and activity devices with geographically and economically diverse families.

Full Text

The full text is available at https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2014.04.026

At A Glance

Food Environment Variables

# Type of Environment/Institution
83Home
Measure objective perceived
Availability/Access ✔ ✔
Food Group/Type of Food
Fruits and vegetables
Low-fat dairy
Whole grains
Foods of minimal nutritional value
Sweetened beverages
Oils
Meat/fish/poultry/eggs
Low-fat foods other than dairy

Physical Activity Environment Variables

# Type of Environment/Location
83Home
# Scale
15Equipment
Measure objective perceived
Equipment Access/Availability/Proximity ✔ ✔

Individual Dietary Behavior Variables

Intake
Sweetened Beverages
100% Juice
Fruits/Vegetables
Low-fat Dairy
Whole Grains/Fiber
Foods of Minimal Nutritional Value
Behavior
Availability within the home

Individual Physical Activity Behavior Variables

Behavior
Home activity

Domain(s)

Food Environment

Physical Activity Environment

Individual Dietary Behavior

Individual Physical Activity Behavior

Measure Type

Questionnaire

Measure Availability

Not reported

Number of Items

154 Reported

Study location

Small Town/Rural

Colorado

Languages

English

Spanish

Information about Development of Measure

The Home-Inventory Describing Eating and Activity Development (Home-IDEA) was based on a prior validated instrument, the Home Health Environment assessment. To expand the item pool to capture foods potentially purchased by families with geographical and socioeconomic diversity, new food items were taken from the Allowable Foods List from Women, Infants, and Children program, the Block Food Frequency Questionnaire, and the Harvard Food Frequency Questionnaire. Activity items were created from the opinions of a panel with expertise in nutrition, physical activity, and families from diverse backgrounds.

Study Design

Study Participants

Age

2 - 5 Years

Sex

Female

Male

Race/Ethnicity

Hispanic

White

Predominantly Low-income/Low-SES

Yes

Sample Size

83

Study Design

Design Type

Validation/Reliability

Health Outcomes Assessed

None

Obesity Measures

BMI Z-score

BMI Measured or Self-reported

Measured height

Measured weight

Covariates

Sociodemographic characteristics (socioeconomic status, race)

Data Reported on Race/Ethnicity

Quantitative data on study sample

Data Reported on SES

Quantitative data on study sample

SES-related Variables

Income

Education

Program Participation (e.g., WIC, Free/Reduced School Meals)

How To Use

Administration

Who Administered

Third-party administered (e.g., parent/staff)

How Administered

In-person

Time Required

Not reported

Training Required

Not reported

Instructions on Use

Instructions on instrument use included in article

Data Analysis

Data Collection/Analysis Costs

Not reported

Data Collection/Protocol

Parents received study information via packets sent home with preschoolers attending preschool/Head Start centers and during parent information meetings scheduled in the evenings at preschool sites. Twenty-five homes were randomly selected from the eighty-three participants to have independent assessment of the home environment measured using the Home-IDEA. During the home visit, the participant was given instructions on how to complete the Home-IDEA. In addition, the independent rater completed the Home-IDEA during this visit.

Instructions on Data Analysis

Instructions on analysis included in article

Validity (0)

There are no validity tests reported for this measure.

Reliability (2)

Type of reliability Construct/subscale assessed Test/statistic used Result
Inter-rater Home-Inventory Describing Eating and Activity Development (Home IDEA) for Preschoolers (Food items) Kappa - percent agreement K = 0.119 - 100% to 0.184 - 0.915
Inter-rater Home-Inventory Describing Eating and Activity Development (Home IDEA) for Preschoolers (Physical activity items) Kappa - percent agreement K = 0.336 - 1.00 to -0.042 - 1.00