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Updated: Jul 5, 2026
Concept Development and Use of an Automated Food Intake and Eating Behavior Assessment Method
Published on: February 19, 2021
Examining short-term stability of the Mealtime Interaction Coding System (MICS)
Monica Mitchell1, Carrie Piazza-Waggoner, Avani Modi
1Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH 45229-3039, USA. monica.mitchell@chmcc.org
Objective:
This study assessed the stability of ratings on the McMaster Mealtime Interaction Coding System (MICS), an observational measure of family functioning, across three typical evening meals.
Methods:
Participants included families of infants and toddlers with cystic fibrosis (n = 33) and with no chronic illness (n = 33). Three meals were videotaped across a 3-week period (M = 17.4 days) and involved a secondary data analysis from a larger study.
Results:
Across both groups, test-retest reliability (paired correlation coefficients) was generally moderate, but significant, for all scales at each time point comparison. Analyses revealed no significant within-or between-group differences across time periods on healthy versus unhealthy ratings.
Conclusions:
This study highlights the limitations of coding a single mealtime observation or interpreting multiple observations using the MICS. Findings highlight that family, meal, illness, and assessment factors may impact variability in ratings over time.
