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BEACHES: an observational system for assessing children's eating and physical activity behaviors and associated
T L McKenzie1, J F Sallis, P R Nader
1San Diego State University, California.
Insights
A new system accurately codes children's diet and physical activity, observing environmental influences. This tool, the Behaviors of Eating and Activity for Children's Health Evaluation System, is reliable for research.
Area of Science:
- Child Health Research
- Behavioral Science
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Understanding children's dietary and physical activity behaviors is crucial for public health.
- Existing observational systems may lack integration or comprehensive environmental context.
- Identifying influences on these behaviors is key to developing effective interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop and validate an integrated system for coding children's dietary and physical activity behaviors.
- To assess the reliability and validity of the developed observational instrument.
- To examine environmental influences (antecedents, consequences, location) on children's behaviors.
Main Methods:
- Developed the Behaviors of Eating and Activity for Children's Health Evaluation System (BEACHES).
- Conducted direct observations of 42 children (aged 4-8) over 8 weeks in home and school settings.
- Assessed interobserver reliability and construct validity through association with antecedents and heart rate monitoring.
Main Results:
- Four 60-minute home observations yielded stable estimates for most behavioral dimensions.
- High interobserver reliability was achieved for live and videotaped observations.
- Validity was supported by significant associations between antecedents and behaviors, and physical activity categories correlated with heart rate.
Conclusions:
- The BEACHES system is a reliable and valid tool for observing children's diet and physical activity.
- The system effectively captures behaviors and associated environmental factors in diverse settings.
- BEACHES is suitable for research on factors influencing children's health behaviors.
Abstract:
An integrated system for coding direct observations of children's dietary and physical activity behaviors was developed. Associated environmental events were also coded, including physical location, antecedents, and consequences. To assess the instrument's reliability and validity, 42 children, aged 4 to 8 years, were observed for 8 consecutive weeks at home and at school. Results indicated that four 60-min observations at home produced relatively stable estimates for most of the 10 dimensions. Interobserver reliabilities during live and videotaped observations were high, with the exception of "consequences" categories that occurred in less than 1% of observed intervals. Evidence of validity was provided by findings that antecedents were associated with respective dietary and physical activity behaviors. The five physical activity categories were validated by heartrate monitoring in a second study. The Behaviors of Eating and Activity for Children's Health Evaluation System is appropriate for studying influences on diet and physical activity in children in a variety of settings.