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Foods have many meanings, nutritive value being only one. Knowing some of the connotative or implied meanings that people associate with foods can help nutritionists define communication goals and plan educational programs. This exploratory study sought to determine if certain connotative or implied meanings of foods can be measured and if common underlying dimensions of meaning can be identified. Other hypotheses related to the discriminating power, validity, and reliability of the instrument developed for the study. The instrument, composed of a number of adjectival scales, was adapted from a behavioral science research technique, the semantic differential. Performance of the instrument was demonstrated by having homemakers in high- and low-income groups use it to judge a number of foods and food groups. The selection of foods and populations was based on results of recent food consumption surveys in the United States. Multivariate and univariate analyses of these data attested to the validity and reliability of the instrument. These analyses showed that the instrument measured differences between income groups and foods, both food groups and single foods. Major dimensions of meaning were identified by factor analysis. On the basis of the statistical tests, scales were selected for retention in the instrument for use in further testing with other foods and populations. |
