title: The development and validation of the Dieting Intentions Scale (DIS).
abstract: This article presents information on the psychometric properties of the Dieting Intentions Scale (DIS), a new scale of dieting that predicts future behavioral efforts to lose weight. We begin by reviewing recent research indicating theoretical and empirical problems with traditional approaches to measuring dieting. The DIS addresses several of these problems by (a) focusing on naturalistic dieting behavior and (b) being future-oriented. Four validation studies are presented with a total of 741 participants. We demonstrate that the DIS has predictive utility for dieting behaviors and is positively correlated with other measures related to eating, weight, and shape. Furthermore, the DIS demonstrates discriminant validity by not being related to constructs such as self-esteem and social desirability. The DIS also has high internal consistency, with a 1-factor solution replicated with confirmatory factor analysis. The potential uses of the scale in both research and clinical settings are considered.
authors.affiliation: Research School of Psychology, The Australian National University, Canberra,Australian Capital Territory, Australia. t.cruwys@uq.edu.au
authors.forename: Tegan
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Cruwys
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Platow
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rieger
authors.forename: Don G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Byrne
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004035:Diet Therapy / Q000523:psychology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033182:Intention; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D015431:Weight Loss / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult