Validity of a Competing Food Choice Construct Regarding Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among Urban College Freshmen

Abstract Objective This paper presents the reliability and validity of a “competing food choice” construct designed to assess whether factors related to consumption of less-healthful food were perceived to be barriers to fruit and vegetable consumption in college freshmen. Design Cross-sectional, self-administered survey. Setting An urban public college with a large, diverse student population. Participants A convenience sample of 408 college freshmen. Variables Measured A “competing food choice” construct and fruit and vegetable intake. Analyses Factor analysis, Cronbach α, and correlation coefficients were used to determine the reliability and validity of the construct. Results Three factors were produced from the factor analysis of the 11-item competing food choice construct: “competitive food” barriers (Cronbach α = 0.73), fruit and vegetable–related “time” barriers (Cronbach α = 0.67), and “quality” barriers (Cronbach α = 0.64). Construct validity assessments revealed significant inverse correlations between fruit and vegetable consumption and competitive food barriers ( r = -0.15, P < .01 current and r = -0.25, P < .01 prior) and time barriers ( r = -0.12, P < .05 current and r = -0.10, P < .05 prior). Conclusions and Implications This “competing food choice” construct demonstrated satisfactory reliability and construct validity among college freshmen.