Validating stage of change measures for physical activity and dietary behaviors for overweight women

To investigate the construct, concurrent and predictive validity of stage of change measures for physical activity (PA), and intakes of fruit and vegetables (FVs), dietary fiber (FB) and dietary fat (DF) among a sample of overweight women.

Subjects were 401 women (mean age=41, s.d.=8.7 years; mean body mass index=32.35, s.d.=4.6) recruited to participate in a 12-month weight loss intervention trial. Concurrent validity tests included (1) self-report of current behavior, (2) decisional balance (for example, pros and cons of behavior change), (3) self-efficacy, (4) the MTI Actigraph accelerometer (for the PA staging measure), and (5) a food-frequency questionnaire (for all dietary staging measures). Predictive validity was assessed through tests of the relationship between the baseline stage of change measures and their corresponding behavior 1-year later.

Coefficient alpha-tests of internal consistency exceeded 0.70 on the majority of scales. Concurrent validity tests indicated strong validity evidence for three staging measures and little validity for the DF staging measure (eta(2) range, 0.02-0.18). All staging algorithms demonstrated predictive validity (eta(2) range, 0.04-0.126).

Staging measures can determine motivational readiness for overweight women, contribute to the standardization of stage of change assessment and facilitate cross-study comparisons.