Assessing Nutrition and Physical Activity in Child Care
Author Information
Author(s): Sara E. Benjamin, Brian Neelon, Sarah C. Ball, Shrikant I. Bangdiwala, Alice S. Ammerman, Dianne S. Ward
Primary Institution: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Hypothesis
A valid and reliable self-assessment tool for nutrition and physical activity environments in child care is needed.
Conclusion
The self-assessment tool is stable and reasonably accurate for evaluating nutrition and physical activity in child care settings.
Supporting Evidence
- The self-assessment tool included 38 nutrition and 18 physical activity questions.
- Kappa statistics for inter-rater reliability ranged from 0.20 to 1.00.
- Test-retest reliability yielded kappa statistics from 0.07 to 1.00.
- Criterion validity was assessed by comparing self-assessments to researcher-administered evaluations.
Takeaway
This study created a tool for child care centers to check how healthy their food and activity options are, helping them improve for kids.
Methodology
The study involved 96 child care centers where directors and staff completed a self-assessment tool, and reliability was tested through inter-rater and test-retest methods.
Potential Biases
Self-reported data may be influenced by social desirability, leading to inflated results.
Limitations
The study had a small sample size for test-retest reliability and potential non-response bias.
Participant Demographics
Child care centers from North Carolina, with a mix of children from various racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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