Measures of self-efficacy and norms for low-fat milk consumption are reliable and related to beverage consumption among 5th graders at school lunch

Baylor College of Medicine,USDA/ARS Children’s Nutrition Research Center, Houston, TX, USASubmitted 12 December 2006: Accepted 4 May 2007: First published online 1 August 2007AbstractObjective: To determine the reliability and validity of scales measuring low-fatmilk consumption self-efficacy and norms during school lunch among a cohort of5th graders.Design: Two hundred and seventy-five students completed lunch food recordsand a psychosocial questionnaire measuring self-efficacy and norms for schoollunch low-fat milk consumption during the fall and spring semesters of the1998–1999 academic year. Test–retest reliability was assessed in participants whoalso completed the questionnaire in the spring semester (n5262). Principalcomponent analyses identified and confirmatory factor analyses confirmed latentvariables. Bivariate correlations measured construct validity.Setting: Houston-area middle school.Subjects: Fifth graders (n5275) from one middle school in southeast Texas.Results: Two scales measuring psychosocial influences of low-fat milk consump-tion were identified and proved reliable in this population: milk self-efficacy andmilk norms. Milk self-efficacy and norms were positively correlated with milkconsumption and negatively correlated with consumption of sweetened beverages.Conclusions: These questionnaires can be used in similar interventions tomeasure the impact of self-efficacy and norms for drinking low-fat milk duringschool lunch.KeywordsMilkSelf-efficacyNormsSweetened beveragesAdolescentsReliabilityValidityMilk is a major dietary source of calcium in the USA andits consumption throughout childhood and adolescenceis important to support growth and the development ofoptimal bone mass