Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jul 12;20(14):6345.
doi: 10.3390/ijerph20146345.

Food Appreciation Scale Development and Dimensionality Assessment

Kelly Cosgrove  1 , Christopher Wharton  1
Affiliations

Food Appreciation Scale Development and Dimensionality Assessment

Kelly Cosgrove et al. Int J Environ Res Public Health. .

Abstract

Food appreciation has been associated with favorable dietary and food waste behaviors. However, no validated food appreciation assessment currently exists. This study aimed to develop and validate a food appreciation scale (FAS) using data from two independent US-based samples recruited online. The 29-item FAS was based on existing literature regarding appreciation as a psychological construct, mindful eating, and epicurean tendencies. In Study 1, 311 participants completed the FAS, and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted. In Study 2, 300 participants completed the FAS, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to determine whether the factor structure remained consistent. The EFA indicated a good model fit for a four-factor structure after excluding six items that loaded on multiple or no factors (TLI 0.95, CFI 0.97, SRMR 0.03, RMSEA 0.05), and Cronbach's alpha indicated excellent reliability (Cronbach's alpha values 0.82-0.9). The CFA confirmed the four-factor structure (TLI 0.97, CFI 0.98, SRMR 0.08, RMSEA 0.05) and acceptable factor loadings with a simple structure. The factors assessed active food appreciation, reflective food appreciation, mindful epicurean tendencies, and food-related rituals. The validated FAS could allow researchers to assess food appreciation, measure changes in food appreciation over time, and compare food appreciation among different study populations.

Keywords: dietary habits; food appreciation; food waste.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Path diagram of the four-factor model.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. de Ridder D., Gillebaart M. How food overconsumption has hijacked our notions about eating as a pleasurable activity. Curr. Opin. Psychol. 2022;46:101324. doi: 10.1016/j.copsyc.2022.101324. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Jiang Y., King J.M., Prinyawiwatkul W. A review of measurement and relationships between food, eating behavior and emotion. Trends Food Sci. Technol. 2014;36:15–28. doi: 10.1016/j.tifs.2013.12.005. - DOI
    1. Hendrickson K.L., Rasmussen E.B. Effects of mindful eating training on delay and probability discounting for food and money in obese and healthy-weight individuals. Behav. Res. Ther. 2013;51:399–409. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2013.04.002. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Warren J.M., Smith N., Ashwell M. A structured literature review on the role of mindfulness, mindful eating and intuitive eating in changing eating behaviours: Effectiveness and associated potential mechanisms. Nutr. Res. Rev. 2017;30:272–283. doi: 10.1017/S0954422417000154. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Horwath C., Hagmann D., Hartmann C. Intuitive eating and food intake in men and women: Results from the Swiss food panel study. Appetite. 2019;135:61–71. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2018.12.036. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types