CANCER RISK REDUCTION THROUGH DIETARY INTERVENTION

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This Phase I study will develop and test a questionnaire to measure fruit and vegetable consumption, demographic data, and variables based on constructs from the transtheoretical model of behavior change among economically disadvantaged Black adolescents 11 through 14 years of age. Focus groups with 64 youths will gather data on the relevance and exhaustiveness of items. Content validity will be assessed by subjecting the instrument to expert review. Pilot testing will be carried out with a separate sample of 40 youths who will rate the clarity, interpretability, relevance, order, layout and exhaustiveness of items. Exploratory factor analysis and internal consistency reliability analyses will be performed to confirm the measurement structure and internal consistency of questionnaire subscales. Cross-sectional data from a separate sample of 250 youths will be used to confirm relationships predicted by the model and examine associations between transtheoretical variables, demographic data, and fruit and vegetable consumption. Those data will inform Phase II efforts to develop an intervention based on the model. The efficacy of the intervention will be examined in a randomized clinical trial. Should Phase II prove successful, Phase III will entail its dissemination to community-based agencies similar to those engaged in this R & D project.