Measurement of self-efficacy for diet-related behaviors among elementary school children.
Health promotion interventions intended to improve dietary behavior frequently incorporate self-efficacy as a construct to enhance behavior change. This paper presents results from a study to establish psychometric properties of a scale to measure children's self-efficacy for selecting healthful food. As part of a series of pilot studies to develop instrumentation for the Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health (CATCH), data were collected on third and fourth grade students (n = 1,127). Data analyses were conducted to estimate internal consistency, test-retest reliability, factorial validity, and criterion related validity. Results revealed acceptable estimates of internal consistency for the dietary self-efficacy scale (coefficient alpha = .84). Self-efficacy was strong associated with the children's usual food choices, accounting for about 34% of variance (Multiple R = .58). Findings support using such an instrument for evaluating intervention programs addressing nutrition behavior and for studies to determine the association of self-efficacy to dietary behavior or related constructs.
Parcel
G S
GS
Center for Health Promotion Research and Development, University of Texas Health Science Center, Houston 77225, USA.
Edmundson
E
E
Perry
C L
CL
Feldman
H A
HA
O'Hara-Tompkins
N
N
Nader
P R
PR
Johnson
C C
CC
Stone
E J
EJ
D002648:Child; D003710:Demography; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004522:Educational Status; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007389:Internal-External Control; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D011594:Psychometrics; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012737:Sex Factors; D012982:Sodium, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States
D004041:Dietary Fats; D012982:Sodium, Dietary