KidSTEPS

Funded by the Dudley Allen Sargent Research Fund at BU’s Sargent College, the KidSTEPS project was an observational pilot study representing Dr. Quatromoni’s first engagement with children in epidemiologic research. As such, it was designed to better understand the validity and utility of diet and physical activity assessment tools for use in research with youth/adolescent populations. Building on over a decade of research experience working in dietary assessment and epidemiology in adult populations through her work on the Framingham Heart Study, the KidSTEPS pilot project yielded valuable information on diet and physical activity behaviors of school-age children that allowed Dr. Quatromoni to extend her research program into the field of school based health promotion and childhood obesity prevention.

The Specific Aim of this observational pilot study was to determine the feasibility of assessing lifestyle behaviors among school-age children using multiple behavioral assessment tools to measure eating behaviors and physical activity.