Development and validation of the ASPIRE-VA coaching fidelity checklist (ACFC): a tool to help ensure delivery of high-quality weight management interventions

• Published in: Translational behavioral medicine Vol. 6; no. 3; pp. 369 - 385
• Main Authors: Damschroder, Laura J., Goodrich, David E., Kim, Hyungjin Myra, Holleman, Robert, Gillon, Leah, Kirsh, Susan, Richardson, Caroline R., Lutes, Lesley D.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01-09-2016
• Subjects: Checklist - methods; Cross Cultural Psychology; Delivery of Health Care - standards; Family Medicine; Female; General Practice; Health Promotion and Disease Prevention; Health Psychology; Humans; Male; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Mentoring - methods; Middle Aged; Obesity - diet therapy; Obesity - prevention & control; Original Research; Psychometrics; Public Health; Reproducibility of Results; United States; United States Department of Veterans Affairs; Weight Reduction Programs - methods; Intervention; Obesity; Weight management; Process evaluation; Treatment fidelity
• ISSN: 1869-6716; 1613-9860
• DOI: 10.1007/s13142-015-0336-x

Practical and valid instruments are needed to assess fidelity of coaching for weight loss. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the ASPIRE Coaching Fidelity Checklist (ACFC). Classical test theory guided ACFC development. Principal component analyses were used to determine item groupings. Psychometric properties, internal consistency, and inter-rater reliability were evaluated for each subscale. Criterion validity was tested by predicting weight loss as a function of coaching fidelity. The final 19-item ACFC consists of two domains (session process and session structure) and five subscales (sets goals and monitor progress, assess and personalize self-regulatory content, manages the session, creates a supportive and empathetic climate, and stays on track). Four of five subscales showed high internal consistency (Cronbach alphas > 0.70) for group-based coaching; only two of five subscales had high internal reliability for phone-based coaching. All five sub-scales were positively and significantly associated with weight loss for group- but not for phone-based coaching. The ACFC is a reliable and valid instrument that can be used to assess fidelity and guide skill-building for weight management interventionists.