Published in

SAGE Publications, American Journal of Health Promotion, 3(23), p. 210-217

DOI: 10.4278/ajhp.061221154

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

Validated scales to assess adult self-efficacy to eat fruits and vegetables

This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.
This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.

Full text: Unavailable

Green circle
Preprint: archiving allowed
Green circle
Postprint: archiving allowed
Red circle
Published version: archiving forbidden
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

Purpose. An audience-centered approach was used to develop valid and reliable scales to measure adult self-efficacy to eat fruit and vegetables. Design. Cross-sectional survey of a national population. Setting. New Zealand. Subjects. A sample of 350 adults ages 25 to 60 years was randomly selected from a nationally representative sampling frame. Overall, 231 questionnaires were returned, producing a 72% response rate. The mean age of subjects was 42.7 years; 58% were female; 80% were of European descent; 11% were indigenous Maori. Measures. The 76–item, self-administered questionnaire collected data on demographics, fruit and vegetable intakes, stages of change, decisional balance, and self-efficacy (24 items). Analysis. Principal components analysis with oblimin rotation was performed. Results. Principal components analysis yielded three distinct and reliable scales for self-efficacy to eat “vegetables, ” “fruit, ”and “fruit and vegetables” (Cronbach α = .80, .85, and .73, respectively). These scales were correlated, but only the “vegetable” scale was positively correlated with the “fruit and vegetable” scale (Kendall tau r = 0.30, −0.26 [fruit, “fruit and vegetables”], −0.38 [fruit, vegetable]). As predicted, self-efficacy was associated with intake (r = 0.30 [fruit], 0.34 [vegetables]). Conclusion. Assuming the factor structure is confirmed in independent samples, these brief, psychometrically sound scales may be used to assess adult self-efficacy to eat fruit and to eat vegetables but not self-efficacy to eat “fruit and vegetables. ”