ARS | Publication request: A new measure of dietary social support among African American adolescents

Submitted to: American Journal of Health Behavior
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: May 13, 2012
Publication Date: January 1, 2012
Citation: Di Noia, J., Thompson, D.J., Woods, L. 2012. A new measure of dietary social support among African American adolescents. American Journal of Health Behavior. 37(3):299-309.

Interpretive Summary: Social support has been associated with positive health activities in African American and economically disadvantaged adults. Little is known about whether social support functions the same way among African American adolescents. To investigate possible relationships among social support and healthy behaviors like fruit/vegetable (FV) consumption, a valid and reliable measurement scale for this population is needed. The article describes the development and validation of such a scale. This is a promising scale for assessing social support for FV consumption among African American adolescents.

Technical Abstract: The purpose of this research was to develop and evaluate a measure of social support for fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption among economically disadvantaged African American adolescents. Focus groups (N = 30) and pilot testing procedures (N = 17) were used to develop and pretest questionnaire items. Item, reliability, and validity analyses were conducted in a separate sample of 93 youth. Results indicated the measure was internally consistent (Cronbach alpha = .93) and valid, as evidenced by significant correlations found with construct (diet-specific family support) and criterion (FV consumption) measures. In conclusion, this measure is a promising method for assessing social support for FV consumption in this population.