Differences in perceptions of the home food and physical activity environment among adult dyads

Microenvironments such as homes and neighborhoods are often studied as behavioral determinants of health and health behavior. They are typically measured through observation or self-report, both of which have limitations. To our knowledge, few studies have examined whether cohabitating adults report these environments similarly, and no studies have explored predictors of discrepant perceptions among adult dyads. To advance this line of inquiry, we examined self-reported data from 83 adult dyads living in the same home. Foods and exercise equipment in the home and access to neighborhood recreational facilities were measured. Independence of scores was assessed using Pearson correlation coefficients, and individual responses within inventory scores were assessed using percentage agreement and Cohen's kappa. Multivariate regression analysis was used to predict factors that contributed to disagreement within dyads. Preliminary results are as follows: Agreement for fruits, vegetables and other foods available in the home in the past week ranged from 53-92%. Agreement for equipment in the home and neighborhood facilities (e.g., park, trails) ranged from 55-98%. Race and days between the interviews predicted disagreement among dyads for fruits in the home, and for neighborhood facilities. Differences in BMI and PA also predicted disagreement for neighborhood facilities. Cohabitating adults report their home food and PA environments differently, with dyads having less disagreement about their PA environment than their food environment. These findings have implications for how environments are measured and how data are interpreted. Future research should examine characteristics of individuals (e.g., PA level; BMI) associated with more accurate reporting of environments.