Attitudes towards high-fat foods and their low-fat alternatives: reliability and relationship with fat intake.
Score on a scale of attitude towards the consumption of five high-fat foods and their low-fat alternatives was correlated with the energy percentage of fat in the diet across 419 subjects. Attitudes towards low-fat alternatives were more positive than towards high-fat foods. Mean energy percentage of fat in the diet was 38.8% (SD 7.1). The attitude scale explained 25% of the variance in percentage energy as fat. Test-retest reliability of the attitude scale (n = 25) was 0.92 (95% confidence limits 0.82 and 0.97). The reproducibility of energy percentage fat in the diet (n = 33) was 0.64 (95% confidence limits 0.38 and 0.81). Differences in attitude score were found between men and women, subjects following a dietary treatment and those who did not, and subjects with a fat intake according to the Dutch dietary guidelines and those who had not (p < 0.001). Fat intake (expressed as percentage of energy intake) differed between age groups (p < 0.05), and between subjects following a special diet and those who did not (p < 0.001). No difference in attitude score or energy percentage of fat was found for education level, occupation level, body mass index or household size. It is concluded that attitudes towards high-fat foods and their low-fat alternatives are useful in understanding fat intake.
Department of Human Nutrition, Wageningen Agricultural University, The Netherlands.
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Stafleu
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de Graaf
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van Staveren
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MA
de Jong
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004034:Diet Surveys; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004522:Educational Status; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009426:Netherlands; D009790:Occupations; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014505:Urban Population
D004041:Dietary Fats