Dietary behavior: Developing a taxonomy of outcomes related to diet, eating and nutrition

Abstract

Background: “Dietary behavior†is a fuzzy umbrella term that can mean different things across scientific disciplines, hindering communication and mutual understanding. The current study involved drawing up a taxonomy of the different outcomes studied by a diverse and broad group of scholars investigating dietary behavior. Methods: A four-phase Delphi method was conducted with 65 scholars involved the DEDIPAC project. Phase 1 consisted of an online mind mapping procedure. In Phase 2, the input was reduced and categorized into a taxonomy. In Step 3, this taxonomy was discussed among all scholars involved and adapted. In Step 4, the taxonomy was finalized. Findings: More than 100 outcomes were initially specified. The final taxonomy that was agreed upon consisted of 3 main categories (Eating Behavior, Food Choice, and Dietary Intake/Nutrition) and 17 specific outcomes. Discussion: The term “dietary behavior†covers a wide range of outcomes. Insight into this diversity is a prerequisite for successful cross-disciplinary obesity research. The current taxonomy can be used as a tool to facilitate discussion and understanding between researchers.