Table 3 Description of variables, measures, and instruments
Variable | Purpose of measure | Variable (Categorical/continuous) | Measure | Instrument | When to collect |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
PRIMARY OUTCOME | |||||
 Child’s diet | PSO, IC | Overall diet Food Variety (Continuous) | Food intake (core-and non-core foods) Healthy eating index | FFQ based on nationwide Norwegian diet survey among 12-month-old children [12] and the MoBa-study [55] | At baseline, 18, 24, and 48 months |
SECONDARY OUTCOME Eating environment | |||||
 Child level: food preferences | SSO, IC | Food neophobia (Continuous) | Rating the child’s willingness to try new foods | The food neophobia scale [61] | At baseline, 18, 24, and 48 months |
 Parental level: feeding practices | SSO, IC | Feeding style and feeding practices (Categorical) | Under−/over-eating, hunger, infant cues. Feeding attitudes, practices, perceptions or concerns about weight | ||
|  | SSO, IC | Food neophobia (Continuous) | Rating the parent’s willingness to try new foods | The food neophobia scale [61] | |
| Â | SSO, IC | Self-efficacy (Categorical) | Parental self-efficacy in eating situations | Feeding self-efficacy [64] | |
 Family level: meal setting | SSO, IC | Frequency of shared meals (Categorical) | Frequency of meals and meal distractions | Questionnaires from the nationwide Norwegian diet survey among 12-month-old children [12] and items developed for this study | |
Food environment | |||||
 Macro-level: grocery shopping | SSO, IC | Food choice and awareness of food environment (Categorical) | Planning, grocery shopping, what influences food choice | FCQ [65] SCQ: some elements made for this study, are based on theory of Wansink [51], and additional items developed for this study | At baseline, 18, 24, and 48 months |
 Micro-level: Home | SSO, IC | Availability and accessibility of food (Categorical) | Availability and accessibility of non-core and core foods Food preparation and planning | Questions developed for this study and items from Helland and colleagues [66] | |
| Â | SSO, IC | Meal management and food coping strategies (Categorical) | Self-efficacy related to meal management and food coping strategies | Meal management and food coping strategies questionnaire [67] | |
OTHER | |||||
 Child anthropometrics | SSO | Anthropometric outcome (Continuous) | Height and weight | Self-reported, but measured at scheduled health center visits | At baseline, 18, 24, and 48 months |
 Parental characteristics | SC | Height and weight Demographics Socioeconomic status Food behaviors | Height and weight Education, occupation and food intake | Self-reported on questionnaire and simple FFQ [12] | |
 Website use | IC | Use of website by the intervention group | Usefulness and usability | Questions developed for this study, but include elements from Helle and colleagues [58] | At 18 months (intervention group) |