Validation of a food-repertory grid with a diabetic population

The application of a psychology tool, the repertory grid, was explored. A diabetic sample was used to evaluate this new assessment tool. The grid measures attitudes about food and was created by determining elements (food items) and constructs (adjectival phrases) as identified by diabetic participants and dietitians. The grid was administered twice to 17 diabetic participants to determine applicability. The interindividual correlation coefficients ranged from 0.24 to 0.54 for elements and from 0.24 to 0.61 for constructs. The most stable components can be used for a grid designed to help dietitians with counseling. Clients would fill out a grid so that problem areas in the way of attitudes about food could be pinpointed. Because many diabetic persons fail to comply with their diets, a new and innovative tool is needed. The possibilities for grid development are abundant among other clinical populations for whom dietary management is important.