Survey of Eating Habits

Read each statement and decide if it is true as applied to you or false as applied to you. Do not omit any of the items. Mark either true or false before every one by placing a check mark in the TRUE column or in the FALSE column.

True     False

I. PAST ATTITUDES AND HABITS

1.         My family seldom argued at the dinner table.

2.         Many different types of meals were served at our house.

3.         I did not particularly care for the food served at home.

4.         My mother was a good cook.

5.         Our family seemed to be in a better disposition at and shortly after meals than before.

6.         My mother enjoyed cooking.

7.         Meals were simple but substantial in our family.

8.         My mother served desserts frequently.

9.         Discipline was usually enforced shortly before or after the evening meal.

10.       Mealtimes were quite unhurried; in fact‚ they took on the aspect of a social activity.

11.       My father enjoyed eating.

12.       I enjoyed eating.

13.       Younger members of the family were requested not to talk too much at meals.

14.       My family often celebrated something important by going to a restaurant.

15.       Less than an average amount of conversation occurred at mealtime in my family.

16.       My father tended to dampen mealtime conversation.

17.       Conversation at meals was more light than serious.

18.       Business matters were often discussed at meals (chores‚ etc.).

19.       Flowers or candies were sometimes placed on the table at evening meals.

20.       Sometimes my mother would give me my favorite food when I was sick or unhappy.

21.       My mother used to take special precautions to avoid giving us contaminated food.

22.       The emphasis was on nutritional meals in our family.

23.       My mother liked cooking least of all household chores.

24.       Meals were quite elaborate in our family.

25.       Individuals other than my immediate family‚ such as grandparents‚ usually participated in the evening meal.

26.       Following the main meal‚ I tended to linger about the table talking and so on‚ rather than leaving the table.

27.       My mother enjoyed eating.

28.       Sometimes I felt like leaving the table before the meal was over.

29.       My mother fixed my favorite foods when I was sick.

30.       At restaurants everything I ordered had to be eaten.

31.       Eating out was infrequent.

32.       The entire family was usually present at the evening meal.

33.       On my birthdays I helped plan the menu.

34.       My mother tended to dampen mealtime conversation.

35.       Discipline was often applied at mealtime.

36.       Family meals were more hurried than unhurried.

37.       My father sometimes scolded us at the evening meal.

38.       At breakfast‚ I often read what was printed on the cereal boxes.

II. PRESENT ATTITUDES AND HABITS

39.       Mealtime is usually pleasant in my home.

40.       I like to smell food cooking.

41.       In general‚ I prefer a slow‚ leisurely meal to a quick‚ hurried one.

42.       I like many different types of food.

43.       I tend to be underweight.

44.       At a party‚ I tend to eat a lot of peanuts.

45.       I do not care much for desserts.

46.       I seldom like to try a new food.

47.       I often get indigestion or heartburn.

48.       If I am very busy‚ I may forget all about eating.

49.       Shopping for groceries is unpleasant.

50.       I like to eat foreign foods.

51.       A good wife must be a good cook.

52.       I think that going to an expensive restaurant is a good way to celebrate an important event such as an anniversary‚ a birthday‚ etc.

53.       I have a tendency to gain weight.

54.       Sometimes I have a craving for sweets.

55.       I tend to be quiet rather than talkative.

56.       If a child refuses dinner‚ he should be made to eat.

57.       I almost never eat between meals.

58.       I dislike many foods.

59.       I enjoy eating at restaurants.

60.       I often eat while I am watching television.

61.       Watching people eat makes me hungry.

62.       People who eat heartily in public have bad manners.

63.       I often buy refreshments at movies‚ ball games‚ etc.

64.       I sometimes reward myself by eating.

65.       When depressed‚ I sometimes eat my favorite foods.

Source: Don Byrne et. al. (1963). Construction and validation of the Food Attitude Scale. Journal of Consulting Psychology‚ 27 © 1963. Reprinted by permission of the author.