title: Developing a measure of behavior change in a program to help low-income parents prevent unhealthful weight gain in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To 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.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sequential 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.
  
  
  METHODS
  Expanded 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.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaire reliability, validity, respondent comprehension, and feasibility of use in program contexts.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative analysis of item comprehension. Correlational analysis of test-retest reliability and convergent validity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A 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
  Development 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.
authors: Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA. kld12@cornell.edu
authors: Katherine L
authors: KL
authors: Dickin
authors: Megan
authors: M
authors: Lent
authors: Angela H
authors: AH
authors: Lu
authors: Joran
authors: J
authors: Sequeira
authors: Jamie S
authors: JS
authors: Dollahite
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D015438:Health Behavior; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D050177:Overweight / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010290:Parents / Q000193:education*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires