Table 2.

Description of Independent and Dependent Variables

Measure	Description
Independent Variable:
Relationship Status	Relationship status was assessed by self-report at Time 3. Young adult participants were asked the following question adapted from a previous measure, (Johnston, O’Malley, & Bachman, 2001) “What is your relationship status (mark one)?” Reponses included, single/casually dating, committed dating relationship/engaged, married, same sex domestic partner, separated or divorced, widowed. Three categories of relationship status were created from these response options: (a) single/casual dating, (b) committed dating/engaged, and (c) married. Participants who chose same sex partner as their relationship status (n = 18) were grouped in the married category. Those who reported that they were separated/divorced (n = 12), widowed (n = 1), or those with missing data regarding relationship status (n = 18) were excluded from the analyses.
Dependent Variables:
Weight Status	Height and weight were assessed by self-report at EAT II (Time 2) and EAT III (Time 3). Self-reported height and weight has been shown to be highly correlated with objectively measured values in adults (Kuczmarski, Kuczmarski, & Najjar,2001; Palta, Prineas, Berman, & Hannan, 1982; Stewart, 1982; Tehard, van Liere, Com Nougue, & Clavel-Chapelon, 2002). BMI was calculated using the standard formula, weight (kg)/height (meters2). Among a sub-sample of 127 Project EAT-III participants, the correlation between measured and self-reported BMI values was r=0.95 for men and r=0.98 for women. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cut-points were used to categorize participants into those who were normal weight (BMI>18.5, <25) overweight/obese (BMI≥25, <30), or obese (BMI≥30) (CDC, 2010). We collapsed the latter two categories and conducted analyses of overweight/obese vs. normal weight.
Fruit and Vegetable Intake and Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption	At Time 2, fruit and vegetable intake was assessed with the 149-item Youth and Adolescent Food Frequency Questionnaire (YAQ) (Rockett et al., 1997). At Time 3, when adolescents had transitioned into young adulthood, a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ 2007 grid form; Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition Department) was used to assess past year intake of fruit and vegetables and sugar-sweetened beverage consumption. Daily servings were defined as the equivalent of one-half cup for fruits and vegetables. A serving of sugar-sweetened beverages (e.g. soda pop, sports drinks) was defined as the equivalent of one glass, bottle, or can. Young adults’ self-reported servings of fruits (excluding fruit juice) and vegetables (excluding french fries) were dichotomized at ≥ 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, based on dietary guidelines (Krauss et al., 2000). Sugar sweetened beverage intake was dichotomized at ≥ 1 glass/bottle/can per day. Previous studies have examined and reported on the reliability and validity of intake estimates (Feskanich et al., 1993; Rimm et al., 1992).
Fast Food Intake and Breakfast Frequency	Fast food intake and breakfast frequency were assessed by self-report at Time 2 and 3. Young adults were asked, “In the past week, how often did you eat something from a fast food restaurant?” and “During the past week, how many days did you eat breakfast?” Response options ranged from never to more than 7 times for fast food intake and never to every day for breakfast. Eating breakfast was dichotomized at ≥ 5 times per week. Fast food intake was dichotomized at eating fast food ≥ 1 time per week. In addition, fast food intake was dichotomized at eating fast food ≥ 3 times per week in order to identify the differences between infrequent and frequent fast food intake. The test-retest value for breakfast frequency was Pearson r = .82 and for fast food Pearson r = .48.
Level of Physical Activity	Physical activity questions were adapted from the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (Godin, 1997). Young adults were asked at Time 2 and Time 3, “In a usual week, how many hours do you spend doing the following activities: (1) strenuous exercise (e.g. biking fast, aerobics, jogging, basketball, swimming laps, soccer, roller blading) (2) moderate exercise (e.g. walking quickly, easy bicycling, volleyball, skiing, dancing, skateboarding, snowboarding)”. Response options ranged from “none” to “6+ hours a week”. Young adults’ self-reported hours of moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA) was dichotomized at ≥ 2.5 hours per week. This cutpoint matches current recommendations of 30 minutes of physical activity on most days (Haskell et al., 2007). The test-retest value for this item was Pearson r = .80.
Covariates	Gender, age, race/ethnicity and educational attainment were assessed by self-report at Time 3. Race/ethnicity was assessed with one survey item: “Do you think of yourself as 1) white, 2) black or African-American, 3) Hispanic or Latino,4) Asian-American, 5) Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, or 6) American Indian or Native American” and respondents were asked to check all that apply. Participants who checked two response options were categorized as “mixed/other race.” Hawaiian/Pacific Islander and Native American participants were also categorized as “mixed/other race” due to their small numbers in this dataset. Highest level of educational attainment was assessed using the following question, “What is the highest level of education that you have completed?” Response options included: less than high school, high school/GED, vocational/technical/trade school, associate degree, bachelor degree, graduate or professional degree (Horacek et al., 2002).