Validity and Reliability of a Dietary Stages of Change Measure among Economically Disadvantaged African-American Adolescents

Purpose. To examine the construct validity and 2-month test-retest reliability of a staging measure for assessing readiness to consume five or more daily servings of fruits and vegetables among economically disadvantaged African-American adolescents. Design. Longitudinal survey. Setting. Youth services agencies serving low-income communities in New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Subjects. African-American adolescents (N = 390) aged 11 to 14 years. Measures. Self-report measures of stage of change and fruit and vegetable consumption. Analysis. Correlation analysis and analysis of covariance were used to examine, cross-sectionally, whether fruit and vegetable consumption differed by stage of change (validity assessment). Correlation analysis and Cohen's kappa (κ) were used to assess the degree of association and level of agreement between stages longitudinally (test-retest reliability assessment). Results. Fruit and vegetable consumption was moderately correlated with stage of change (r ≥ .54, p = .000). Consistent with the transtheoretical model, youths' consumption increased from earlier to later stages (p = .000). Forty-six percent of youths were in the same stage at both measurements. The correlation between stages was .26, and Cohen's κ was .20 (p = .000). Conclusions. Despite preliminary evidence of construct validity, the low test-retest reliability found suggests that further research and testing are needed to improve the stability of the measure.

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Computer-Mediated Intervention Tailored on Transtheoretical Model Stages and Processes of Change Increases Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among Urban African-American Adolescents

American Journal of Health Promotion ◽

10.4278/ajhp.22.5.336 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 22 (5) ◽

pp. 336-341 ◽

Cited By ~ 48

Author(s):

Jennifer Di Noia ◽

Isobel R. Contento ◽

James O. Prochaska

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Transtheoretical Model ◽

Vegetable Consumption ◽

African American Adolescents ◽

Fruit And Vegetable Consumption ◽

Processes Of Change ◽

Fruit And Vegetable ◽

Computer Mediated

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Application of the Transtheoretical Model to Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among Economically Disadvantaged African-American Adolescents: Preliminary Findings

American Journal of Health Promotion ◽

10.4278/0890-1171-20.5.342 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 20 (5) ◽

pp. 342-348 ◽

Cited By ~ 55

Author(s):

Jennifer Di Noia ◽

Steven P. Schinke ◽

James O. Prochaska ◽

Isobel R. Contento

Keyword(s):

African American ◽

Transtheoretical Model ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Economically Disadvantaged ◽

Vegetable Consumption ◽

African American Adolescents ◽

Decisional Balance ◽

Fruit And Vegetable Consumption ◽

Processes Of Change ◽

Fruit And Vegetable

Purpose. To examine the application of the transtheoretical model (TTM) to fruit and vegetable consumption among economically disadvantaged African-American adolescents. Methods. Scales for measuring decisional balance, situational self-efficacy, and processes of change for fruit and vegetable consumption were developed and pretested with 57 economically disadvantaged African-American adolescents. The scales and measures for assessing stages of change, demographic variables, and fruit and vegetable consumption were administered to a separate sample of 262 participants. t-tests for independent samples and analysis of variance were used to examine differences in TTM variables and fruit and vegetable consumption across stages of change. Results. Two-factor solutions for decisional balance and processes of change and a three-factor solution for situational self-efficacy provided the best fit to the data. Alpha coefficients of reliability for the scales ranged from .77 (experiential change processes) to .91 (pros). Participants in action-maintenance stages evidenced higher pros, self-efficacy, and fruit and vegetable consumption and significantly lower cons than did participants in precontemplation and contemplation-preparation stages. Also, participants in action-maintenance stages used processes of change more frequently than did those in precontemplation-contemplation-preparation stages. The use of experiential and behavioral processes within these stages did not differ significantly, as posited. Discussion. Observed differences in TTM variables and fruit and vegetable consumption by stage of change in this sample of economically disadvantaged African-American adolescents were consistent with theory and previous applications of the model to fruit and vegetable consumption in adults. With replication studies, the TTM may be appropriate for designing interventions to increase fruit and vegetable consumption among this population.

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