title: A lifestyle assessment and intervention tool for pediatric weight management: the HABITS questionnaire.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Lifestyle assessment and intervention tools are useful in promoting pediatric weight management. The present study aimed to establish convergent validity and reliability for a quick simple measure of food intake and physical activity/sedentary behaviour. The HABITS questionnaire can be used to identify and monitor behavioural intervention targets.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-five youths (ages 7-16 years) were recruited from the waiting area of the Jacobi Medical Center Child and Teen Health Services. To establish convergent validity for the HABITS questionnaire, study participants completed the HABITS questionnaire, a 24-h recall and a modified version of the Modifiable Activity Questionnaire for Adolescents (MAQ). Participants completed a second HABITS questionnaire within 1 month to assess test-retest reliability. Internal consistency for dietary and physical activity/sedentary behaviour subscales was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, and test-retest reliability was assessed using Cohen's Kappa coefficient. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients were calculated for individual items using the 24-h recall and the MAQ as reference standards.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The HABITS questionnaire subscales showed moderate internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha of 0.61 and 0.59 for the dietary and physical activity/sedentary behaviour subscale, respectively). The test-retest reliability was 0.94 for the dietary subscale and 0.87 for the physical activity/sedentary behaviour subscale. Several items on the HABITS questionnaire were moderately correlated with information reported in the MAQ and the 24-h recall (r = 0.38-0.59, P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The HABITS questionnaire can reliably be used in a paediatric setting to quickly assess key dietary and physical activity/sedentary behaviours and to promote behaviour change for weight management.
authors.affiliation: Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA. nataniawright@gmail.com
authors.forename: N D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: A E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Groisman-Perelstein
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wylie-Rosett
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vernon
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Diamantis
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Isasi
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*