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Measuring PROMIS® Physical Activity and Sleep Problems in Early Childhood
Jin-Shei Lai1, Courtney K Blackwell1, Carole A Tucker2
1Department of Medical Social Sciences, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences (DevSci), USA.
Insights
New PROMIS® Early Childhood (EC) measures accurately assess physical activity (PA) and sleep problems (SP) in children aged 1-5 years. These tools support early interventions for healthy child development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Psychometrics
- Child Development
Background:
- Physical activity (PA) and sleep are critical health indicators for children.
- Accurate monitoring tools are needed for early interventions promoting healthy development in young children.
- Existing measures may not adequately capture PA and sleep patterns in early childhood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the development of the PROMIS® Early Childhood (EC) Parent Report Physical Activity (PA) and Sleep Problems (SP) measures.
- To create psychometrically sound instruments for assessing PA and SP in children aged 1-5 years.
- To facilitate timely interventions for promoting healthy development.
Main Methods:
- Item pools were created through parent interviews, expert input, and literature review.
- Factor analysis and item response theory (IRT) were used to refine item pools and calibrate measures.
- Norms were established using a U.S. general population sample, and validity was assessed.
Main Results:
- The PROMIS EC PA measure includes 5 items, and the SP measure includes 16 items, both demonstrating unidimensionality.
- Item response theory (IRT) was used for calibration, and norms were established for precise scoring.
- Initial validity analyses supported the psychometric properties of the developed measures.
Conclusions:
- The PROMIS EC PA and SP measures are user-friendly, brief, and provide precise scores.
- These instruments offer psychometrically sound assessments of physical activity and sleep problems in young children.
- Further research is recommended to comprehensively evaluate the validity of these measures.
Objective:
Physical activity (PA) and sleep are leading health indicators for individuals of all ages. Monitoring young children's PA and sleep using psychometrically sound instruments could help facilitate timely interventions to promote healthy development. This article describes the development of the PROMIS® Early Childhood (EC) Parent Report Physical Activity (PA) and Sleep Problems (SP) measures for children aged 1-5 years.
Methods:
Item pools were generated by interviewing parents, input from content experts, and literature review. Data from a U.S. general population sample were used to determine factor structures of item pools via factor analytic approaches, estimate item parameters via item response theory (IRT) models, and establish norms. Pearson correlations were used to evaluate across-domain associations. Analysis of variance was used and known-groups' validity of PA and SP by comparing their scores to PROMIS EC Parent Report Global Health: child's physical, emotional, and mental conditions.
Results:
Initial item pools consisted of 19 and 26 items for PA and SP, respectively. Factor analyses' results supported unidimensionality of 5 and 16 items measuring PA and SP, respectively, which were then calibrated using IRT. Norms were established by centering to a probability-based U.S. general population. Computerized adaptive testing algorithms were established. Some analyses supported initial measure validity.
Conclusions:
The PROMIS EC PA calibrated scale and SP item banks are user-friendly and brief, yet produce precise scores. Both measures enable psychometrically sound assessment of PA behavior and sleep problems. Future studies to comprehensively evaluate the validity of these two measures are warranted.
