What factors do people consider when making food choices?

Food Choice Questionaire is a 36-statement measure of people's considerations when making food choices. The questions measure 9 variables: health, mood, convenience, sensory appeal, natural content, price, weight control, ethical concern, and familiarity. This questionnaire can be used to explore relationships between food choices and gender, age, mental health, and physical activity habits. Past research suggests that women's healthier eating habits are linked to their stronger focus on specific food choice factors (Pollard et al., 1998).

Resources:

Steptoe, A., Pollard, T. M., & Wardle, J. (1995). Development of a measure of the motives underlying the selection of food: the food choice questionnaire. Appetite, 25(3), 267–284.

Pollard, T. M., Steptoe, A., & Wardle, J. (1998). Motives underlying healthy eating: using the Food Choice Questionnaire to explain variation in dietary intake. Journal of Biosocial Science, 30(2), 165–179.

Parameters

• This survey cannot be tweaked.

Disclaimer
Any languages that are currently offered besides English for this survey are not necessarily validated translations. This survey was translated using Google Translate and verified by members of the community.
What data is collected? How is it scored?
The following variables are recorded:

FCQ_health: Higher scores mean participants place a greater importance on the nutritional content and health benefits of their food choices.

FCQ_mood: Higher scores mean participants prioritize foods that they believe will positively impact their emotional state and well-being.

FCQ_convenience: Higher scores mean participants value convenience of preparation or accessibility in their food choices.

FCQ_sensory_appeal: Higher scores mean participants prioritize the taste, texture, and appearance of their food choices.

FCQ_natural_content: Higher scores mean participants place a greater importance on the naturalness and minimal processing of their food choices.

FCQ_price: Higher scores mean participants prioritize the cost-effectiveness and affordability of their food choices.

FCQ_weight_control: Higher scores mean participants prioritize foods that they believe will help them manage their body weight.

FCQ_familiarity: Higher scores mean participants prioritize foods they are familiar with in their food choices.

FCQ_ethical_concern: Higher scores mean participants prioritize food choices that align with their ethical values (i.e food production, consumption).

Raw data: 36 statements combined to make 9 variables (health, mood, convenience, sensory appeal, natural content, price, weight control, familiarity, and ethical concern. The score for each question ranges from 1-4.

Calculation:
The subscores are determined by averaging the scores of the questions that make up each of the 9 variables. Both Health and Mood's scores range from 6-24. The scores of Natural Content, Price, Weight Control, Familiarity, and Ethical Concern all have an average range of 3-12. Convenience has a score range of 5-20. Finally, Sensory Appeal has a score range of 4-16. The Likert scale ranges from 1 ("not important at all ") to 4 ("very important"), so the average of the scores for each question will also range from 1-4.


• FCQ_health: Average of questions 9, 10, 22, 27, 29, and 30
• FCQ_mood: Average of questions 13, 16, 24, 26, 31, and 34
• FCQ_convenience: Average of questions 1, 11, 15, 28, and 35
• FCQ_sensory_appeal: Average of questions 4, 14, 18, and 25
• FCQ_natural_content: Average of questions 2, 5, and 23
• FCQ_price: Average of questions 6, 12, and 36
• FCQ_weight_control: Average of questions 3, 7, 17
• FCQ_familiarity: Average of questions 8, 21, 33
• FCQ_ethical_concern: Average of questions 19, 20, and 32