Validity of a Competing Food Choice Construct Regarding Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among Urban College Freshmen

ObjectiveThis paper presents the reliability and validity of a “competing food choice” construct designed to assess whether factors related to consumption of less-healthful food were perceived to be barriers to fruit and vegetable consumption in college freshmen.DesignCross-sectional, self-administered survey.SettingAn urban public college with a large, diverse student population.ParticipantsA convenience sample of 408 college freshmen.Variables MeasuredA “competing food choice” construct and fruit and vegetable intake.AnalysesFactor analysis, Cronbach α, and correlation coefficients were used to determine the reliability and validity of the construct.ResultsThree factors were produced from the factor analysis of the 11-item competing food choice construct: “competitive food” barriers (Cronbach α = 0.73), fruit and vegetable–related “time” barriers (Cronbach α = 0.67), and “quality” barriers (Cronbach α = 0.64). Construct validity assessments revealed significant inverse correlations between fruit and vegetable consumption and competitive food barriers (r = -0.15, P < .01 current and r = -0.25, P < .01 prior) and time barriers (r = -0.12, P < .05 current and r = -0.10, P < .05 prior).Conclusions and ImplicationsThis “competing food choice” construct demonstrated satisfactory reliability and construct validity among college freshmen.