A tool for assessing the satisfaction of a diet: Development and preliminary validation of the Diet Satisfaction Score

Abstract

Aim: Adherence to dietary change is crucial for long-term benefit and a key element of adherence is the satisfaction of a given diet. We aimed to develop a brief questionnaire, suitable for use in clinical practice that can assess satisfaction with a diet, and to conduct preliminary evaluation of its reliability and validity. Methods: The questionnaire was developed and drafts were sent to two expert panels for content review. The final questionnaire was assessed for internal consistency, face and construct validity, and test-retest reliability. Expert feedback was provided by nine clinicians/researchers. The tool was assessed in three phases in different international populations who were recruited using social media. It included adults who were currently following a diet (total n = 1604), and those who had recently abandoned their diet (phase 3 only). Results: The Diet Satisfaction Score consisted of 10 items measuring one dimension (Cronbach's alpha = 0.85), and participants had a mean total Diet Satisfaction Score of 3.7 (SD = 0.50) from a possible range of 1 to 5. Test-retest reliability was good as indicated by an intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.64 and a mean difference (95% confidence interval, CI) between repeated test scores of 0.03 (−0.02, 0.09). Each 1-point increase in Diet Satisfaction Score was associated with longer diet duration by 1.7 weeks (95% CI = 1.5, 2.0, P