Methods to assess ambivalence toward food and diet: a scoping review protocol

Abstract

Objective: This scoping review aims to identify and understand the different tools and methods used in studies in the field of human eating behavior to assess, measure, or classify participants' ambivalence toward food and diet, as well as to identify which tools and methods are most frequently employed.

Introduction: People's attitudes toward food and eating behaviors are often ambivalent (simultaneously positive and negative), making it harder to change eating behaviors in favor of a healthier diet. This highlights the importance of resolving diet-related ambivalence. Identifying and understanding the different methods used in the literature to assess attitudinal ambivalence toward food and diet will provide researchers with a range of options to choose from for future studies.

Inclusion criteria: We will include peer-reviewed studies as well as preprints that assess the ambivalence of human participants toward food and diet, regardless of sex, age, or other sociodemographic factors. We will exclude studies in which the methods used to assess ambivalence are not detailed or cannot be reproduced, as well as studies that assess the ambivalence of participants toward farming and agricultural methods or toward methods of food production and preparation.

Methods: This review will follow the JBI methodology for scoping reviews. Peer-reviewed studies will be retrieved from MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Food Science Source, FSTA, and CINAHL, while preprints will be retrieved from PsyArXiv and MedArXiv. Two independent reviewers will screen the articles. All relevant extracted information will be presented as tables and a descriptive summary of the findings.