Development of the PEA-PODS (Perceptions of the Environment and Patterns of Diet at School) Survey for Students

Abstract

IntroductionFew instruments assess key outcomes of school-based obesity interventions, including student perceptions of school environments and school-specific dietary intake patterns. This study describes development of PEA-PODS (Perceptions of the Environment and Patterns of Diet at School), a 2-part survey to measure these outcomes.MethodsPart 1 (PEA) assessed student perceptions of policies, physical environment, and practices related to healthy eating and physical activity at school. Part 2 (PODS) assessed usual intake (ie, frequency, location obtained, and foods consumed) of breakfast and lunch. Foods consumed were presented by MyPlate categories (eg, Fruits, Grains). Students in grades 3, 6, and 9 participated in 2 phases: cognitive pre-testing (n = 10) and reliability/validation testing (n = 58). Both surveys were administered 1 week apart to assess test-retest reliability and 5-day food records validated PODS. Analyses included percent agreement (70% = acceptable), Pearson correlations, and Cronbach α.ResultsCognitive pre-testing provided feedback on content, length, and age-appropriateness. Percent agreements were acceptable for test-retest reliability of PEA (71%–96%). The final version included 34 items with Likert-type responses in 4 subscales (α ≥0.78). For PODS, agreement for breakfast and lunch location was ≥75% for both reliability and validation. For foods consumed at breakfast, reliability agreement ranged from 74% to 93%, and validation agreement from 68% to 91%. For foods consumed at lunch, agreement ranges were 76% to 95% and 73% to 88%, respectively.ConclusionBoth parts of the instrument demonstrate acceptable reliability, and PODS demonstrates acceptable validity. This demonstrates appropriateness for assessing perceptions of the environment and usual dietary intake patterns for school-based obesity prevention initiatives.

“Wellness Champions for Change,” a multi-level intervention to improve school-level implementation of local wellness policies: Study protocol for a cluster randomized trial

“…PODS evaluates “usual” diet patterns during the school week by inquiring about the frequency (5-option Likert response set “never” to “always”) they usually eat lunch from various locations (home, school cafeteria, restaurant, before-school program), and what types of foods they usually consume within MyPlate categories (i.e., Fruits, Vegetables, Protein, Grains, Dairy, Beverages). PODS had acceptable test-retest reliability and validity compared to a five-day food record among 58 students in grades 3, 6, and 9[40].…”

Associations between elementary and middle school teachers’ physical activity promoting practices and teacher- and school-level factors

“…Teacher PA promoting practices Teacher PA promoting practices were assessed through an adapted Perceptions of the Environment at School (PEAS) survey [39]. The original version of the PEAS survey consists of 40 items that assess students' perceptions of policies, physical environment, and practices related to healthy eating and PA at school, including 7 items focused specifically on PA in and outside of the classroom that reflected recommendations for implementing classroom-and schoolbased PA [40].…”

Physical Activity, Confidence, and Social Norms Associated With Teachers’ Classroom Physical Activity Break Implementation

“…Teacher CPA break implementation. Teacher CPA break implementation was assessed using an adapted version of the Perceptions of the Environment at School (PEAS) survey (Lane, Driessen, et al, 2018). The original version of the PEAS survey consists of 40 items that assess students' perceptions of policies, physical environment, and practices related to healthy eating and PA at school, including one item focused specifically on implementing CPA breaks.…”