Dyadic Analysis of a Self-report Physical Activity Measure for Adult-Youth Dyads.

Adult physical activity levels influence youth physical activity levels, but the nature of this relationship is still unknown. Most research focusing on this topic has been conducted with accelerometers, which are ideal since self-report physical activity measures can be biased. However, self-report measures for physical activity are useful to include in studies to gather information at low-cost. The purpose of this study was to further develop a self-report adult-youth dyad measure of physical activity. This study was conducted using secondary data analysis of the physical activity measures used in an intervention on behavioral nutrition (iCook 4-H). Participants were a sample of 214 adults (M = 39.0, SD = 8.0 years) and youth (M = 9.4, SD = 0.7 years) pairs. Accelerometer data was collected for a subset of youth (n = 122). There was dependency between the adult-youth physical activity data, and a dyadic confirmatory factor analysis model showed good fit to the data and achieved metric invariance, a measure to determine if the same construct was being measured in both youth and adults. Invariance was confirmed across matched versus unmatched sex pairs and some evidence of invariance with youth accelerometer data. Based on study findings, when using self-report measures of physical activity, researchers should measure both members of the adult-youth dyad to get more accurate measurements. Further validation of these findings is needed using an objective physical activity measure, like accelerometers, with all participants and more diverse samples.

The iCook 4-H Study: An Intervention and Dissemination Test of a Youth/Adult Out-of-School Program.

OBJECTIVE: To describe outcomes from intervention and dissemination of iCook 4-H. DESIGN: Five-state, community-based participatory research and a randomized, controlled trial followed by a 5-state, nonrandomized dissemination test of the iCook 4-H curriculum with control and treatment groups. SETTING: Community and university sites. PARTICIPANTS: Youths aged 9-10 years and their adult food preparer; 228 dyads in the intervention and 74 dyads in dissemination. INTERVENTION(S): Theoretical frameworks were Social Cognitive Theory and the experiential 4-H learning model. Six 2-hour, biweekly sessions on cooking, eating, and playing together followed by monthly newsletters and boosters until 24 months, expanded to 8 sessions for dissemination. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Youth body mass index (BMI) z-scores, measured height and weight, and youth/adult program outcome evaluations surveys. ANALYSIS: Linear mixed models, group, time, and group × time interaction for BMI z-score and program outcomes changes. Significance levels = P ≤ .05; interaction term significance = P ≤ .10. RESULTS: In intervention, treatment BMI z-scores increased compared with controls based on significant interaction (P = .04). For odds of being overweight or obese at 24 months, there was no significant interaction (P = .18). In dissemination, based on significant interaction, treatment youths increased cooking skills (P = .03) and treatment adults increased cooking together (P = .08) and eating together (P = .08) compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: iCook 4-H program outcomes were positive for mealtime activities of cooking and eating together. The program can be successfully implemented by community educators. The increase in BMI z-scores needs further evaluation for youths in cooking programs.

Development of the iCook 4-H Curriculum for Youth and Adults: Cooking, Eating, and Playing Together for Childhood Obesity Prevention.

The objective was to describe the development process of a curriculum (iCook 4-H) targeted to low-income, rural, and/or diverse youths and their adult primary meal preparer to promote cooking, eating, and playing together. Lessons learned highlighted the importance of grounding the curriculum in Social Cognitive Theory and applying the experiential 4-H learning model using a multiphased, community-based participatory approach with cyclical development and evaluation, and key modifications made for dissemination and distribution. Findings across 4 testing phases over 6 years and 5 states demonstrated the time-intensive, cyclical process that required flexibility with fidelity to form a hands-on, interactive curriculum.

Development and Testing of Program Evaluation Instruments for the iCook 4-H Curriculum.

OBJECTIVE: To develop and test the validity of program outcome evaluation instruments for cooking, eating, and playing together for obesity prevention during iCook 4-H. DESIGN: Instrument development for both youth and adults through pre-post testing of items newly constructed and compiled to address key curriculum constructs. Testing occurred throughout program intervention and dissemination to determine dimensionality, internal consistency and test-retest reliability, and validity. SETTING: A 5-state out-of-school program in cooperative extension and other community sites. PARTICIPANTS: Youths aged 9-10 years; adults were main food preparers; the first phase involved 214 dyads and the second phase, 74 dyads. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Youth measures were cooking skills, culinary self-efficacy, physical activity, and openness to new foods. Adult measures were cooking together, physical activity, and eating together. ANALYSIS: Exploratory factor analysis to determine initial scale structure and confirmatory factor analysis to confirm factor structures. Longitudinal invariance tests to see whether the factor structure held over time. Test-retest reliability was determined by Pearson r and internal consistency was determined by coefficient Ω and Cronbach α. Validity testing was determined by Pearson r correlations. RESULTS: Youth cooking skills, openness to new foods, and adult eating together and cooking together showed strong evidence for dimensionality, reliability, and validity. Youth physical activity and adult physical activity measures showed strong evidence for dimensionality and validity but not reliability. The youth culinary self-efficacy measure showed strong evidence for reliability and validity but weaker evidence for dimensionality. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Program outcome evaluation instruments for youths and adults were developed and tested to accompany the iCook 4-H curriculum. Program leaders, stakeholders, and administrators may monitor outcomes within and across programs and generate consistent reporting.

The iCook 4-H Study: Report on Physical Activity and Sedentary Time in Youth Participating in a Multicomponent Program Promoting Family Cooking, Eating, and Playing Together.

OBJECTIVE: To report physical activity and sedentary time outcomes of youth in iCook 4-H. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: iCook 4-H was a 5-state, randomized, control-treatment, family-based childhood obesity prevention intervention promoting cooking, eating, and playing together. PARTICIPANTS AND INTERVENTION: Youth aged 9-10 years and the main preparer of their meals participated in the 12-week program followed by monthly newsletters and biyearly booster sessions until 24 months. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): A total of 155 youth were fitted with an Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometer, which they wore for 7 days at baseline and 4, 12, and 24 months to measure mean daily minutes per hour of waking wear time for sedentary time (ST), light physical activity (PA) (LPA), moderate PA, vigorous PA, and moderate to vigorous PA. Self-reported PA was assessed using the Block Kids Physical Activity Screener and additional questions querying for the program goal of the frequency of family actively playing together. Linear mixed models were used to determine differences from baseline to 24 months. Significance was set at P ≤ .05. RESULTS: There was a significant (P < .05) group × time interaction for LPA (adjusted interaction B estimate, 95% confidence interval; 0.18 [0.05, 0.30]) and ST (-0.15 [-0.26, -0.04]); ST increased and LPA decreased in the treatment group. There were no differences in other accelerometer-derived PA measures, self-report Block Kids Physical Activity Screener measures, or frequency of family actively playing together at any time point. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: iCook 4-H was a multicomponent program observing youth aged 9-10 years for 24 months that focused on enhancing cooking skills, mealtime behavior and conversation, and PA through daily family activities. Greater emphasis on developing PA skills, changing environmental factors, and increasing PA both in and after school may be needed.