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Table 1 Overview of the instruments and scales implemented in the NutriAct Family Study on Determinants of Food Choice (NFS); Potsdam, Germany

From: The NutriAct Family Study: a web-based prospective study on the epidemiological, psychological and sociological basis of food choice

Level

Concept

Instruments and scales

Construct

Applied in questionnaire no.

N items

Short description

INDIVIDUAL

Food responsiveness

Power of Food Scale (PFS)

Appetite

3

15

The PFS assesses the psychological impact of living in food-abundant environments (appetite for palatable foods)

Short version Behavioural Inhibition Scale (BIS-15)

Approach and avoidance

3

15

The BIS-15 measures on two scales dispositional differences in behavioural approach (BAS-scale) and inhibition (BIS-scale)

Food Craving Questionnaire (FCQ-T-reduced)

Food craving

3

15

The FCQ assesses craving for a variety of foods covering behavioural, cognitive and physiological aspects of craving

Reward-based Eating Drive Scale (RED)

Reward-based (over-) eating

4

9

The RED measures the vulnerability to weight-gain associated behaviours such as drive to overeat, lack of control/satiation, preoccupation with food

Reward-Responsiveness-Scale (RR-Scale)

Reward responsiveness

4

8 + 2 a

The RR-scale assesses the extent to which an individual is sensitive to signals of reward

Personality

Big 5

Personality

4

16

The scale assesses five personality dimensions: neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, compatibility, and conscientiousness

Resilience

Resilience

4

15

The scale assesses stress, coping ability and, as such, could be an important target of treatment in anxiety, depression, and stress reactions

Dispositional Optimism

Optimism

4

5

Dispositional optimism has been defined in terms of life engagement and generalized positive outcome expectancies for one’s future

SEA-K

Social desirability

4

2

The SEA-K measures socially desirable responses

Eating behaviour

Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2)

Intuitive eating

4

23

The IES-2 assesses intuitive eating that is eating in line with hunger and satiety cues

Self-Report Index of Habit Strength (SRHI)

Habit strength

3

12

The SRHI measures habit strength of eating a plant-based diet

Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ)

External, emotional and restrictive eating

4

30

The DEBQ assesses three different eating styles namely external, emotional and restrictive eating

Food Neophobia Scale (FNS)

Food Neophobia

4

8

The FNS assesses a reluctance to eat and/or to avoid novel foods

Dieting

Dieting

2

3

These items asses dieting habits

Nutrition self-efficacy

Nutrition self-efficacy

4

5 a

These items asses nutrition self-efficacy

Self-regulation

Short Version of the Self-Control Scale (SCS-K-D)

Self-control

4

13

The SCS-K-D measures general self-control abilities

Self-Regulation Scale (SRS)

Self-regulation

4

7

The SRS measures general self-regulation skills

General Self-Efficacy Scale-6 (GSE-6)

Self-efficacy

4

6

The GSE-6 measures general self-efficacy

INDIVIDUAL

Socio-cognitive variables

Willingness to change

Willingness to change

4

1 a

Willingness to change assesses if and when an individual wants to change its nutritional habits in the direction of eating more plant-based foods

Outcome expectations

Outcome expectations

4

25 a

Outcome expectations ask for the perceived consequences (pros and cons) of eating more plant-based foods

Risk perception

Risk perception

4

3 a

Risk perception measures the extent to which an individual thinks that not eating plant-based foods can lead to negative health consequences

Perceived behavioural control

Perceived behavioural control

4

5 a

Perceived behavioural control measures the extent to which eating more plant-based foods is within one’s control

Norms

Norms

4

4 a

These items asses the perceived pressure of family and friends to eat more plant-based foods

Attitudes

Attitudes

4

10 a

These items asses the individual’s attitudes towards eating more plant-based foods

Lifestyle

Physical activity

Physical activity

2

75

Development of an improved physical activity index, which is able to categorize study participants into activity categories but may also be used as a continuous measure that reflects physical activity and sedentary time

Life situation

Dietary change due to illness

Dietary change

1

19

These items asses dietary changes due to illness

Lifetime Alcohol and Smoking

Lifetime

2

5 + 1

These items asses alcohol intake and smoking

Quality of life (SF-8)

Quality of life

2

8

Health-related quality of life is an individual’s or a group’s perceived physical and mental health over time

Amsterdam Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Questionnaire (A-IADL)

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living

2

6

The A-IADL-Q is a disease-specific IADL questionnaire, aimed at measuring IADL problems in early dementia

Socio-economic and sociodemographic status

Individual and micro environment socio-economic status

1

19

These items assess the personal socio-economic status as well as socio-economic variables of the micro environment (i.e. background family, partner)

INTERPERSONAL

Social values orientation

social influence and nutrition

social influence and nutrition

3

14

Development of a short item list to evaluate familiar taste and cooking preferences in relation to the actual social setting

nutrition and lifestyle habits

eating values

3

10 a

The instrument is based on BZgA survey and evaluates different nutritional orientations regarding daily food habits

Socio-cultural habits

Human Value Scale (HVS)

Human Value Scale (HVS)

3

21

The Human Values Scale (HVS) of the European Social Survey (ESS) is a measure that classifies respondents according to ten basic value orientations: achievement, benevolence, conformity, hedonism, power, security, self-direction, stimulation, tradition, and universalism

Construct of cultural activities

Cultural activities

3

40

The questionnaire evaluates how cultural assets influence the individual lifestyle relative to other socio-demographic factors

Familial shaping

Familial eating habits

Familial eating habits

1

15

These items asses familial eating habits and eating traditions

Familial attitudes

Familial attitudes

1

10 a

These items asses the familial attitudes towards eating more plant-based foods

ENVIRONMENTAL

Familial network

Intimate Relationships and Family Dynamics

Family relations: Contact, emotional closeness, travel-time distance

2

10 a

Short scale based on pairfam survey, evaluates familial relationships and emotional closeness

Number of siblings

Number of siblings

1

1

This item assesses the number of siblings

Place of residence

Rural and urban living environment

Place of residence

3

4

These items asses the place of residence in respect to rural and urban areas

OUTCOME

Dietary intake

Food Frequency Questionnaire

Habitual diet

1

188

For the repeated dietary assessment in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Potsdam Study, a simple FFQ with low respondent burden was developed to measure dietary intake

24 h food list

Habitual diet

Single questionnaires additional to the main survey

90

To assess dietary intake a short 24-h food list based on German survey data was developed. In a second step, evaluating the feasibility and acceptability of repeated applications of this tool by study participants of the pretest of the German National Cohort study during a 6-month period

  1. a modified version