Measures of self-efficacy and norms for low-fat milk consumption are reliable and related to beverage consumption among 5th graders at school lunch.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the reliability and validity of scales measuring low-fat milk consumption self-efficacy and norms during school lunch among a cohort of 5th graders.


METHODS
Two hundred and seventy-five students completed lunch food records and a psychosocial questionnaire measuring self-efficacy and norms for school lunch low-fat milk consumption during the fall and spring semesters of the 1998-1999 academic year. Test-retest reliability was assessed in participants who also completed the questionnaire in the spring semester (n = 262). Principal component analyses identified and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed latent variables. Bivariate correlations measured construct validity.


METHODS
Houston-area middle school.


METHODS
Fifth graders (n = 275) from one middle school in southeast Texas.


RESULTS
Two scales measuring psychosocial influences of low-fat milk consumption were identified and proved reliable in this population: milk self-efficacy and milk norms. Milk self-efficacy and norms were positively correlated with milk consumption and negatively correlated with consumption of sweetened beverages.


CONCLUSIONS
These questionnaires can be used in similar interventions to measure the impact of self-efficacy and norms for drinking low-fat milk during school lunch.
The University of Texas, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Unit 182, 1515 Holcombe Boulevard, Houston, TX 77030, USA. vthompso@mdanderson.org
Victoria J
VJ
Thompson
Christine
C
Bachman
Kathy
K
Watson
Tom
T
Baranowski
Karen W
KW
Cullen
D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005522:Food Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008892:Milk; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012574:Schools; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D013781:Texas