Validation of the English Version of the General Dietary Behavior Inventory (GDBI-E)

Abstract

In medical science and practice, dietary behavior is mostly assessed by item-extensive questionnaires (e.g., food-frequency-questionnaires) or by questionnaires focusing on psychological aspects of dietary behavior neglecting dietary quality or quantity. In consequence, these questionnaires do not capture the full bandwidth of dietary behavior or are less effective in the assessment of dietary behavior because of the large item pools. Therefore, the aim of this validation study was to translate the existing General Dietary Behavior Inventory (GDBI), which was constructed as a behavior-related, as well as effective, instrument, and verifying its construct and criterion validity. This inventory is based on the general nutrition recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO). Our English-speaking convenience sample consisted of 263 participants. The study results confirmed convergent, as well as criterion validity of the English version of the GDBI (GDBI-E). Discriminant validity of the GDBI-E could mainly be verified. Different dietary behavior clusters were identified in a cluster analysis. The found clusters represented a rather healthy and a rather unhealthy dietary behavior in the sample according to the recommendations of the WHO. The results underpinned the validity of the GDBI-E. The GDBI-E is applicable in research and clinical practice to assess dietary behavior in the English-speaking population.

Exploring the Applicability of General Dietary Recommendations for People Affected by Obesity

“…Regarding the health-related outcomes of the GDBI, our results were in contradiction to previous research on the association of GDBI score and health-related outcomes and BMI [ 31 , 32 ]. Interestingly, in this study, there was no association between GDBI scores and physical and mental health or quality of life.…”

“…In line with our expectation, higher GDBI scores were significantly related to better nutrition knowledge. On the one hand, this result corroborates previous study findings indicating that people who have a better knowledge about nutrition and food eat more healthily [ 31 , 32 , 58 ]. On the other hand, when sociodemographic covariates were controlled for, there was no longer a significant relationship between nutrition knowledge and the GDBI scores.…”

“…The GDBI was developed based on the specific dietary recommendations, and higher scores of the GDBI indicate higher adherence to those recommendations. Previous studies have shown that higher GDBI scores are associated with higher nutrition knowledge, lower body weight, and lower body mass index (BMI), as well as better self-rated physical and mental health and higher life satisfaction [ 31 , 32 ]. However, the GDBI was validated using general population samples [ 31 , 32 ].…”

“…Previous studies have shown that higher GDBI scores are associated with higher nutrition knowledge, lower body weight, and lower body mass index (BMI), as well as better self-rated physical and mental health and higher life satisfaction [ 31 , 32 ]. However, the GDBI was validated using general population samples [ 31 , 32 ]. An examination of whether dietary recommendations, as measured by the GDBI, also apply to people affected by severe obesity has not yet been studied.…”

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic causes a dysfunctional dietary behavior: A German cross-sectional study

“…At the time of the study, though, there was no validated assessment for this particular topic available. A possibility would be to use the General Dietary Behavior Inventory (GDBI) in follow-up studies ( Bäuerle et al, 2022 ; Marsall et al, 2022 ). Furthermore, the results of the study are based on self-reporting.…”