Quick and robust measurement of lifestyle behaviours in young children is needed for monitoring population trends and evaluating early obesity prevention programs. CRE-EPOCH members have used a comprehensive, best practice process to develop a suite of brief tools that measure diet and movement behaviours in 0-5-year-old children. The tools are designed to be completed by parents and can be used by policymakers, researchers, and practitioners.
The development process combined information from systematic reviews, expert consultation, and cognitive interviews with parents. This multistage process identified item selection and informed question wording and design.
The brief tools (10-15 questions, <5 minutes to complete) ask parents to report how frequently over the past week their infant, toddler or preschool-aged child has consumed a range of foods and drinks; or frequency and duration of activities including outdoor play, use of mobile devices, and sleep.
Testing with parents (n=367) of young children to determine validity and reliability is nearing completion. Parents completed the tools twice over a 1–2-week period and provided data on dietary intake, physical activity, screen time and sleep using established reference methods.
Early results are promising, indicating that the tools are well understood by parents and will provide validated, reliable and fit-for-purpose solutions for measuring lifestyle behaviours (dietary intake, physical activity, screen time, sleep) in infants, toddlers and preschool-aged children.
These rapid, validated tools measuring key behaviours in children 0-5 years can provide a platform for routine and harmonised measurement of behavioural outcomes across research and practice, including the evaluation of scaled-up early obesity prevention programs. There are opportunities to explore translation for use in healthcare settings e.g. screening, referral, monitoring, feedback to families.
User-friendly, accessible online resources (measurement tool plus data management and analytical protocols) to facilitate the use and adoption of the tool(s) will be available in late 2021.