Pediatric obesity is a pertinent public health challenge. Child physical activity and screen time behaviors enacted within the context of the family and home environment are important determinants of pediatric obesity. The purpose of this study was to operationalize five, maternal-facilitated, social cognitive theory constructs for predicting physical activity and screen time behaviors in children. A secondary purpose was to elucidate the function of suppressor variables in the design and implementation of family- and home-based interventions seeking to prevent pediatric obesity. Instrumentation included face and content validity of the measurement tool by a panel of experts, test-retest reliability of the theoretical constructs, and predictive validity of the constructs through structural equation modeling. Physical activity and screen time were modeled separately according to the five selected social cognitive theory constructs. Data were collected from 224 mothers with children between four and six years of age. Specification indices indicated satisfactory fit for the final physical activity and screen time models. Through a series of four procedures, the structural models identified emotional coping and expectations as suppressor variables for self-efficacy. Suppressor variables can complement program design recommendations by providing a suggested ordering to construct integration within an intervention. 1. Introduction Pediatric obesity impacts children worldwide and remains a formidable public health challenge [1]. Elucidating theoretical determinants of pediatric obesity is necessary for the development of primary prevention interventions that can reduce obesity prevalence [2]. Two activity-based behaviors posited to contribute to pediatric obesity include physical activity and screen time [3]. Physical activity is recognized as a modifiable determinant in the prevention of noncommunicable diseases including cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and obesity [4]. Reduced levels of physical activity increase the likelihood of pediatric obesity. The Framingham Children’s Study found that preschool children with lower levels of physical activity gained significantly more subcutaneous fat than did active children [5]. A three-year longitudinal study of preschool children found that increases in leisure physical activity and higher levels of aerobic activity led to decreased body mass index [6]. Recommendations for children include a total of 60 minutes of physical activity each day [3, 7]. Screen time is a primary source of
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