Validation of a Home Food Environment Instrument Assessing Household Food Patterning and Quality.

The home food environment (HFE) is associated with dietary intake; yet measuring HFE quality often requires burdensome collection of detailed inventories. This project evaluated the capacity of the Home Inventory to Describe Eating and Activity, version 2 (Home-IDEA2) to capture HFE quality by measuring the presence or absence of household foods. Validity was tested using a modified application of the Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI). Comparative data were drawn from the National Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS) Food-at-Home Public Use File. HEI scores were calculated for 4202 households in FoodAPS using Home-IDEA2 inventories and full reported inventories. Paired t-tests compared: (1) estimated vs. total edible grams (EEG; TEG); (2) limited vs. all reported foods; and (3) EEG + limited foods vs. TEG + all reported foods. Sensitivity and range of scores were compared. Mean HEI scores for Home-IDEA2 were higher (p < 0.003) than FoodAPS: (1) 51.6 ± 16.1 vs. 49.6 ± 18.1 (food amounts); (2) 53.5 ± 15.8 vs. 49.8 ± 15.4 (food items); (3) 55.5 ± 15.7 vs. 49.8 ± 15.4 (full instrument); differences were small. Scores demonstrated comparable sensitivity and range. The study found that the Home-IDEA2 can capture HFE quality adequately with low data collection burden.

Development of a Quality Score for the Home Food Environment Using the Home-IDEA2 and the Healthy Eating Index-2010.

The home food environment (HFE) is an important factor in the development of food preferences and habits in young children, and the availability of foods within the home reflects dietary intake in both adults and children. Therefore, it is important to consider the holistic quality of the HFE. The purpose of this study was to apply the Healthy Eating Index (HEI; a measure of diet quality in conformance to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans) algorithm to the Home-IDEA2, a valid and reliable food inventory checklist, to develop a Home-IDEA2 HEI Score. After an initial score was developed, it was psychometrically tested for content, criterion, and construct validity. Content validity testing resulted in 104 foods being retained. Internal criterion testing demonstrated that 42 foods (40%) changed component scores by >5%; however, no single food changed a total Home-IDEA2 HEI score by >5%. Testing of hypothetical HFEs resulted in a range of scores in the expected directions, establishing sensitivity to varied HFEs. This study resulted in a validated methodology to assess the overall quality of the HFE, thus contributing a novel approach for examining home food environments. Future research can test interventions modifying the HFE quality to improve individual dietary intake.

Checklist to Capture Food, Physical Activity, and Sedentary Devices in the Home Environment: The Home Inventory Describing Eating and Activity (Home-IDEA2).

OBJECTIVE: To modify and test a self-report checklist for the home food and activity environment, Home-Inventory Describing Eating and Activity (IDEA2), psychometrically with families of young children. DESIGN: A mixed-methods approach: (1) cognitive interviews informed instrument design (content validity), (2) parent and trained independent raters concurrently and independently completed the Home-IDEA2 during home visits (criterion validity); (3) the Home-IDEA2 was compared with a national sample via the Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey (FoodAPS) database (construct validity). SETTING: Rural communities in Colorado. PARTICIPANTS: Families of preschoolers: cognitive interviews (n = 20) and home visits (n = 26). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES AND ANALYSIS: Content validity: responses to each question were analyzed using a general inductive approach. Criterion validity: Cohen's kappa (κ) coefficient was calculated for each Home-IDEA2 item. Construct validity: frequencies were calculated to determine the proportion of Home-IDEA2 food items found in FoodAPS households. RESULTS: Cognitive interviews identified the need for more food descriptions and the reduction of total items from 154 to 134. Testing resulted in acceptable agreement (κ = 0.6-1.0) for 82 items (58 food, 16 physical activity, and 8 electronics), moderate agreement for 36 (35 food and 1 physical activity; κ = 0.4-0.5), and poor agreement for 16 (15 food and 1 electronics; κ ≤ 0.3). Overall reliability improved from 55% to 65% for Home-IDEA2 items. Comparison of Home-IDEA2 items with FoodAPS demonstrated that 60% of foods found in US homes were covered by the Home-IDEA2. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: This study resulted in a valid, reliable, and low-burden self-report measure for food, activity, and electronic home environments by low-income, minority parents of preschoolers.