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

Abstract

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.

Keywords: FoodAPS; childhood obesity; home environment; physical activity; preschool; psychometrics.