Developing a Measure of Behavior Change in a Program to Help Low-Income Parents Prevent Unhealthful Weight Gain in Children

ObjectiveTo develop and test a brief measure of changes in eating, active play, and parenting practices after an intervention to help parents shape children’s choices and home environments.DesignSequential phases of development and testing: expert panel review, cognitive testing interviews, field testing, test-retest study, and assessment of convergence with detailed previously validated instruments.Setting and ParticipantsExpanded Food and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), New York State. Low-income parents of 3- to 11-year-old children; Cooperative Extension nutrition and parenting educators.Main Outcome MeasuresQuestionnaire reliability, validity, respondent comprehension, and feasibility of use in program contexts.AnalysisQualitative analysis of item comprehension. Correlational analysis of test-retest reliability and convergent validity.ResultsA behavior checklist was developed to assess change in parent-reported family eating, physical activity, and parenting practices addressed by an intervention. The checklist was feasible for use in EFNEP and questions were understood as intended. Test-retest reliability was good (r = 0.83) and scores correlated significantly (range, 0.25 to –0.60; P < .05) with detailed measures of dietary habits, parental modeling, physical activity, and home environment.Conclusions and ImplicationsDevelopment and testing in a program context produced a tool community nutritionists can use to evaluate educational interventions aimed at helping parents promote healthful eating and activity.