Development and Preliminary Evaluation of a Behavioral Lifestyle Assessment Tool: A Methodological Case Study with Graduate-Level Women

Introduction: Obesity in adults remains a pressing public health issue in the United States, closely linked to modifiable behaviors such as diet, physical activity, stress, sleep, and substance use. This study aimed to develop and pilot a brief, multidimensional assessment tool to identify lifestyle risk factors associated with obesity and inform future prevention efforts. Methods: A 30-item Behavioral Lifestyle Risk Assessment (BLRA) survey was developed to measure six domains: physical activity, diet, screen time, sleep, stress, and substance use. The survey was administered online via Microsoft Forms to a purposive sample of six adults. The small sample size was intentionally selected based on cognitive interviewing methodology, which recommends 5–10 participants for early-stage instrument clarity and feasibility testing. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize behavioral patterns and survey usability. Results: All six participants (100% female, aged 18–33) completed the survey without missing data or technical issues. Half reported low physical activity (1–2 days/week), 33% consumed fewer than two servings of fruits and vegetables daily, and another 33% had screen time exceeding eight hours daily. All participants reported moderate to high stress; 83% consumed alcohol, and 17% reported tobacco use. The average survey completion time was 6.8 minutes (SD = 0.6), with positive feedback on clarity and flow. Conclusion: Pilot findings suggest the BLRA is a feasible and user-friendly tool for assessing obesity-related behavioral risks. Broader testing in larger, diverse populations is recommended to validate its public health application.