Group-Evaluated Measures (GEM)

The Leeds Food Preference Questionnaire (LFPQ; Finlayson, King, and Blundell, 2008) provides measures of different components of food preference and food reward. Participants are presented with an array of pictures of individual food items common in the diet. Foods in the array are chosen by the experimenter from a validated database to represent a particular dichotomous dimension of foods of relevance to the research question (e.g. high/low in fat). Responses are recorded and used to compute mean scores for specified food categories. The LFPQ has been validated in a wide range of research and shown to predict actual food choice and energy intake when assessed under laboratory and free-living settings. Scores on the tool can indicate risk of reward-based overeating in obesity. Longitudinal changes can indicate improvement in food preference/choice in response to obesity treatment. The LFPQ has been translated into 14 languages and used in child, adolescent, adult and clinical populations.
 

Whole blood can reflect the physical state of multiple tissues.  In addition, leukocyte number and composition can reflect immune states as well. 

Measures walkability on a scale from 0 - 100 based on walking routes to destinations such as grocery stores, schools, parks, restaurants, and retail. "Walk Score measures the walkability of any address using a patented system. For each address, Walk Score analyzes hundreds of walking routes to nearby amenities. Points are awarded based on the distance to amenities in each category. Amenities within a 5 minute walk (.25 miles) are given maximum points. A decay function is used to give points to more distant amenities, with no points given after a 30 minute walk. Walk Score also measures pedestrian friendliness by analyzing population density and road metrics such as block length and intersection density. Data sources include Google, Education.com, Open Street Map, the U.S. Census, and places added by the Walk Score user community." https://www.walkscore.com/methodology.shtml.  Individual Addresses can be obtained free by entering them at the web page.  Batches of addresses or walk score for areas can be obtained for a fee from the company.

It is recommended that investigators utilize uniform landmarks, with waist circumference measured at the iliac crest and hip circumference measured at the level of the trochanters as utilized by the National Center for Health Statistics in National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey studies. It should be noted that the abdominal circumference measured at the midpoint between the inferior border of the ribcage and the superior aspect of the iliac crest has been reported to be a better correlate of central adiposity in some studies. However, the NIH method is recommended to allow for better comparisons with existing National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and other data.

A thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) test is a common blood test used to evaluate how well the thyroid gland is working. The thyroid gland is located at the lower front of the neck. TSH is produced by the pituitary, a pea-sized gland located at the base of the brain.

An instrument used to assess food cravings where scores have been found to be positively associated with eating pathology, body mass index (BMI), low dieting success and increases in state food craving during cognitive tasks involving appealing food stimuli.

Respondents were asked to report how much they agreed or disagreed with statements related to fast food in their neighbourhood (are they affordable? (“FF in nhd affordable”); are they easily accessible? (“FF in nhd accessible”); and are they found in shops with convenient opening hours? (“FF in nhd has conv open hrs”).

Originally, published in 1987, the purpose of the study was to develop measures of perceived social support and exercise behaviors  (and a separate survey for social support specific to health-related eating). In Study I, specific supportive and nonsupportive behaviors were identified through interviews with 40 individuals making health-behavior changes. In Study II, items derived from the interviews were administered to 171 subjects.

Later, the initial 29 item survey (available in reference), was shortened to the 13 item survey. The abbreviated survey was designed to be easier to use than the original, complete scale reported in Preventive Medicine.

Originally, published in 1987, the purpose of the study was to develop measures of perceived social support specific to health-related eating (and a separate survey for social support and exercise behaviors). In Study I, specific supportive and nonsupportive behaviors were identified through interviews with 40 individuals making health-behavior changes. In Study II, items derived from the interviews were administered to 171 subjects. 

Later, the initial 36 item survey (available in reference), was shortened to the 10 item survey. The abbreviated survey was designed to be easier to use than the original, complete scale reported in Preventive Medicine.

Measures of this construct will vary depending on the target behavior.  Thus, investigators will need to identify a measure that is appropriate for the behavior of interest (please see the construct page for further discussion of this issue). Two example measures (one for exercise and one for eating) are available in GEM and can be accessed using the links below. 

The Reward Based Eating Drive Scale (RED) is a 13-item scale that assesses preoccupation with food, lack of control over eating, and lack of satiety with one reliable factor. Based on Item Response Theory, it includes items to provide greater coverage of the middle to low levels of reward based eating commonly reported in obesity. The RED predicts weight cycling, weight gain over years, and in one weight loss trial, improvement in the RED mediated weight. 

Heart rate when at rest measured in beats per minute (bpm)

This measure is based on a six item measure of perceived presence of food outlets in the neighborhood developed and tested by Liese and colleagues.

Energy expenditure can be estimated by measuring macronutrient or oxygen consumption, or heat production or carbon dioxide production. Most measurement approaches in use today involve the measurement of oxygen consumption and/or production of carbon dioxide via indirect calorimetry.

Revised version of the Questionnaire on Eating and Weight Patterns (QEWP), which was developed for use in the original field trials of the proposed criteria for Binge Eating Disorder.

The Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) is a self-report measure made up of two mood scales, one measuring positive affect and the other measuring negative affect.

PAL is defined as Total daily energy expenditure(TEE)/Resting energy expenditure(REE). The questionnaire provides a self-evaluation of physical activity during work and leisure activities.  

With measures or calculated values of REE, an estimate of TEE can be made from PAL
TEE = Physical activity leve(PAL) x REE

The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) is a measure of the degree to which situations in one's life are appraised as stressful. PSS items were designed to tap the degree to which respondents found their lives unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overloading. These three issues have been repeatedly found to be central components of the experience of stress (Averill, 1973; Cohen, 1978; Glass and Singer, 1972; Lazarus, 1966, 1977; Seligman, 1975). The scale also includes a number of direct queries about current levels of experienced stress. The PSS is composed of 14 items measured from 0 (never) to 4 (very often). PSS scores are obtained by reversing the scores on the seven positive items, e.g., 0=4, 1=3, 2=2, etc., and then summing across all 14 items. Items 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, and 13 are the positively stated items. 

This is a four-item coping subscale of the PEMs self-report scale that measures eating behavior as a means of dealing with problems and negative feelings.

The Paffenbarger questionnaire is a commonly-used, self-reported measure of leisure-time physical activity. 

This measure of police reported crime has been operationalized using data purchased from Applied Geographic systems.  The data set included county names, population, total crime, personal crime (murder, rape, robbery, assault) and property crime (burglary, larceny, motor vehicle theft) by census tract. Further details are available in Slotman et al. 2022 and at the NCI ADOPT core measures web site.

The Neighborhood Environment Walkability Scale (NEWS) is a comprehensive and widely used instrument for measuring neighborhood characteristics based on 68 items concerning perceptions of multiple aspects of the environment such as land use mix, safety and connectivity (Saelens et al. 2003).  

The Neighborhood Deprivation Index is based on factor analysis of four measures of SES at the census tract level: Neighborhood poverty, median household income, % < high school,  and % college.

The Walkability Index dataset characterizes every Census 2010 block group in the U.S. based on its relative walkability. Walkability depends upon characteristics of the built environment that influence the likelihood of walking being used as a mode of travel. The Walkability Index is based on the EPA's previous data product, the Smart Location Database (SLD). Block group data from the SLD was the only input into the Walkability Index, and consisted of four variables from the SLD weighted in a formula to create the new Walkability Index. This dataset shares the SLD's block group boundary definitions from Census 2010. The methodology describing the process of creating the Walkability Index can be found in the documents located at ftp://newftp.epa.gov/EPADataCommons/OP/WalkabilityIndex.zip. You can also learn more about the Smart Location Database at https://edg.epa.gov/data/Public/OP/SLD/SmartLocationDB.zip.

The Munich Chronotype Questionnaire (MCTQ) is a self-reported measure of chronotype that calculates the midpoint of sleep on free days based on self-reported bed and wake times.

The objective of the 24-hour dietary recall is to estimate total intake of food energy (calories), nutrients, and non-nutrient food components from foods and beverages that were consumed during the 24-hour period prior to the interview (usually midnight to midnight). The 24-hour recall multipass protocol consists of developing an initial "quick list," where the respondent is queried about all the foods and beverages consumed during the day. This is followed by detailed probing questions about food preparation, additions to food, and amount consumed organized by eating occasion. Respondents are also queried about forgotten foods; these represent food in categories commonly omitted in 24-hour recall reporting. The 24-hour recall ends with a final review, where any other item not already reported can be added. The 24-hour recall usually takes 30 minutes but can be highly variable. Intake of dietary supplements for the past 24 hours can also be queried.

This measure is a 20-item version of the original 50-item International Personality Item Pool (IPIP) measure. It is used in some national longitudinal studies, such as the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health).

Fasting levels of glucose, nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA), and triglycerides (TG) should be measured at baseline, during weight loss, and after weight loss. Glucose, NEFA, and TGs are the primary nutrients in circulation, and all three respond to calorie-restricted weight loss. 

The MESA perceived neighborhood safety measure is based on three items addressing safety while walking, day or night, whether violence is not a problem and whether the neighborhood is safe from crime. Items were scored 1 (Strongly agree) to 5 (Strongly disagree) and a scale was based on the sum.

There are many opportunities to purchase fast foods in my neighborhood.
Rated on 5-point scale (1 strongly agree, 2 agree, 3 neutral (neither agree nor disagree), 4 disagree, 5 strongly disagree).

It is easy to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables in my neighborhood. 
There is a large selection of fresh fruits and vegetables available in my neighborhood.
The fresh produce in my neighborhood is of high quality.
It is easy to purchase low-fat products (such as low-fat milk or lean meats) in my neighborhood.
There is a large selection of low fat products available in my neighborhood. 
The low-fat products in my neighborhood are of high quality. 

Rated on 5-point scale (1 strongly agree, 2 agree, 3 neutral (neither agree nor disagree), 4 disagree, 5 strongly disagree).

The 27-item Kirby questionnaire is most commonly used to measure delay discounting. This questionnaire is easy to administer, meets psychometric standards for reliability and stability, and has one-year test-retest correlations similar to tests designed to assess personality traits. 

Fasting levels of insulin, glucagon, and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) can be measured before, during, and after weight loss. Along with the metabolite data, these measures can be utilized to calculate indices of insulin sensitivity and secretion (homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance and homeostatic model assessment for b-cell function (88). 

Self-determination theory suggests that autonomy support from others is important in motivating change of various health behaviors.

Key inflammatory cytokines include interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), and C-reactive protein (CRP).  For weight loss studies, they should be measured in the fasted state before, during, and after weight loss. 

Ratings of subjective appetite sensations, which reflect the motivational drive to eat, can be made using visual analogue scales (VAS). VAS are typically used to measure subjective ratings of hunger, fullness, desire to eat and prospective food consumption, but a range of scales have been employed, and a composite score can be created from individual scales. 

Home address(es) throughout the study with appropriate consent to use them to obtain neighborhood-level data by matching to databases (e.g., Census).

Street name, city, state, zip code

BMI = weight / height^2  (kg/m^2) 

The Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2010 is a measure of diet quality, independent of quantity that can assess conformance to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and monitor changes in dietary patterns. The HEI-2010 can be calculated using data collected via 24-hour dietary recalls or selected food frequency questionnaires.

This 16 question instrument assesses physical activity participation in three domains (activity at work, travel to and from places, and recreational activities) as well as sedentary behavior. It is commonly used as a surveillance measure of physical activity in diverse populations.

There are a number of analysis techniques that can be employed to measure most of these peptides e.g. RIA and ELISA, and the recent development of ‘multiplexing’ techniques has allowed the measurement of a large number of peptides in a single assay.  

This measurement provides an estimate of the changes in energy intake over time. The method requires baseline information about sex, age, and height along with repeated body weight data and optional physical activity data (e.g., from an accelerometer). The method calculates the changes in energy intake over time that correspond to the measured body weight changes using a mathematical model of adult human energy balance dynamics. 

4 questions and 2 sub-questions to assess sugar-sweetened beverage intake. 

This measure includes 4 questions, each tapping the frequency with which the respondent: 1) buys food at a fast food restaurant; 2) buys food at a sit down/full service restaurant; 3) buy food from an al you can eat buffet; and 4) eat meals prepared at home

There are multiple ways to measure accessibility of food outlets including proximity, availability, and density. Thus, multiple measures are possible. However, because not all studies can derive distance measures (i.e., they only have the administrative unit where study participants live), the prioritized measure is food outlet density per 10,000 residents. But options include distance (Euclidean or straight-line or Street network) to the nearest food outlet or nearest X number of food outlets; Count of the number of food outlets within a certain distance (e.g., one mile or three miles); Count of the number of food outlets per 10,000 people in an administrative unit or distance (e.g., number of supermarkets per 10,000 people); and Count of the number of food outlets per land area (e.g., number of supermarkets per square mile). Measures that take into account travel time are also possible. Food outlet accessibility can be measured based on where you live and where you work. Each food outlet type should be measured separately.

Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) is a study examining the development and determinants of cardiovascular disease and their risk factors.

Measurement of height and weight; the two measurements can then be used to calculate the commonly used adiposity estimate of Body Mass Index (BMI).  BMI is calculated as weight (kg) divided by the square of height (m).

Bioelectrical impedence spectroscpy is a noninvasive and comparatively inexpensive type of bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to assess body composition that  can be utilized in studies of any size or duration (1).  The multisegmental, multifrequency BIS device allows for the identification of more components of bioimpedance (capacitance, resistance, etc.) than single-frequency BIA devices.

This is a revised version of the original Big Five Inventory. It has been refined and expanded to measure 15 facets across the five domains.

The Berlin Questionnaire for Sleep Apnea consists of 3 categories related to the risk of having sleep apnea.

Measures of this construct will vary depending on the target behavior.  Thus, investigators will need to identify a measure that is appropriate for the behavior of interest (please see the construct page for further discussion of this issue). Two example measures (one for exercise and one for fruit and vegetable consumption) are available in GEM and can be accessed using the links below. 

Measure of adult executive functioning for people 18-90 years of age. This is a 75-item questionnaire with 9 clinical scales:  Inhibit, Self-Monitor, Plan/Organize, Shift, Initiate, Task Monitor, Emotional Control, Working Memory and Organization. Self-report and informant versions.

There are a number of analysis techniques that can be employed to measure such peptides e.g. RIA and ELISA, and the recent development of ‘multiplexing’ techniques has allowed the measurement of a large number of peptides in a single assay.