Measurement properties of psychosocial and environmental measures associated with fruit and vegetable intake among middle school adolescents.

Objective: To assess the measurement properties of several scales modified or created to assess factors related to fruit and vegetable intake within a young adolescent population.
Design: Cross-sectional with data collected via self-report.
Setting: Data were collected in regularly scheduled classes in the school setting.
Participants: African American and Caucasian middle school students (ages 11-15 years).
Variables Measured: Self-efficacy, modeling, outcome expectations, normative beliefs, parental food management practices, and influences on food choice.
Analysis: Pearson correlations, factor analysis, and Cronbach α.
Results: Subscales with adequate to good internal consistencies (0.65-0.88) were established. Fruit and vegetable intake was significantly correlated with self-efficacy, parent and peer modeling, family and peer normative beliefs, and social and health outcome expectations. Fruit and vegetable intake was not significantly correlated with permissive eating, food self-preparation, or the 3 subscales measuring influences on food choice (social influence, avoiding weight-gain food, and appeal and access).
Conclusions and Implications: These measures, most originally developed for children and adults and modified for this study, demonstrated adequate measurement properties for an adolescent sample.
(Copyright © 2012 Society for Nutrition Education and Behavior. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)