Food Disgust Scale: Spanish Version

Area of Science:

• Psychometric validation
• Food psychology
• Public health

Background:

• The Food Disgust Scale (FDS) was previously validated in Swiss adults.
• Understanding food disgust sensitivity is crucial for public health and dietary behaviors.
• Cross-cultural validation of psychometric tools is essential for broader applicability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the FDS in a Mexican adult Spanish-speaking population (FDS-Sp).
• To examine the correlation between food disgust sensitivity and picky eating.
• To explore the association between food disgust sensitivity and body mass index (BMI).

Main Methods:

• Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to validate the Spanish version of the FDS (FDS-Sp) and its short form.
• Bivariate correlations assessed the relationship between FDS-Sp scores and picky eating measures.
• Hierarchical linear regression analysis investigated the link between food disgust sensitivity and BMI.

Main Results:

• The FDS factor structure was replicated in the Mexican population, showing acceptable internal consistency for FDS-Sp subscales (α = 0.781–0.955).
• FDS-Sp subscales and the short version significantly correlated with picky eating.
• Higher scores on the FDS-Sp vegetable subscale predicted higher BMI, accounting for 4% of the variance.

Conclusions:

• The FDS-Sp is a reliable and robust instrument for measuring food disgust sensitivity in Mexican adults.
• Food disgust sensitivity is linked to picky eating, selective eating, and neophobia in this population.
• While BMI is multifactorial, vegetable-related disgust sensitivity is a significant predictor, warranting further research in diverse populations.