Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #114905

Jasmina Sisirak, MPH¹, Beth A. Marks, PhD, RN¹, and Tamar Heller, PhD². (1) Department of Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1640 W. Roosevelt Rd., Suite 707, Chicago, IL 60608, 312-996-3982, jsisir1@uic.edu, (2) RRTC on Aging with Developmental Disabilities, Department of Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1640 West Roosevelt Road, Chicago, IL 60608

Adults with I/DD living in group homes and apartment settings have diets high in fat calories and low in fruits and vegetables. Interventions focused on increasing nutrition and physical activity knowledge and reducing obesity require changes in dietary and activity practice. Many of the assessment tools used to assess nutrition knowledge are long and very time consuming to administer. Adults with I/DD may lose concentration and interest during testing, which makes it difficult to obtain reliable and valid data concerning nutrition knowledge. Nutrition and Activity Knowledge Scale (NAKS) is an eighteen-item scale that was developed specifically for adults with I/DD to address these issues and to assess nutrition and physical activity knowledge among adults with I/DD. NAKS was adapted and assessed for reliability. Cronbach's alpha is high for both factors Ą = 0.86 (weight/weight control) and Ą = 0.75 (nutritional value of food). Test-retest reliability for the weight/weight control subscale was r = 0.67 (p<0.001), and for the nutritional value of food subscale was r = 0.39 (p<0.01). We have completed test-retest reliability on NAKS with 24 participants. Our results show high test-retest reliability for the weight/weight control subscale r = 0.84 (p<0.001), nutritional value of food subscale r = 0.69 (p<0.001), and total test-retest reliability was r = 0.82 (p<0.001). Little data exists regarding the outcomes of nutrition and physical activity literacy in this population. NAKS has the potential for use in future studies to evaluate outcomes of physical activity and nutrition education programs for adults with I/DD.

Learning Objectives:

• Apply adapted Nutrition and Activity Knowledge Scale in community based programs and research.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation