The use of visual analogue scales to assess motivation to eat in human subjects: a review of their reliability and validity with an evaluation of new hand-held computerized systems for temporal tracking of appetite ratings

• Published in: British journal of nutrition Vol. 84; no. 4; pp. 405 - 415
• Main Authors: Stubbs, R. J., Hughes, D. A., Johnstone, A. M., Rowley, E., Reid, C., Elia, M., Stratton, R., Delargy, H., King, N., Blundell, J. E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.10.2000
• Subjects: accuracy; Appetite; attitudes and opinions; Biological and medical sciences; Computer Graphics; computers; data collection; Data Collection - methods; Data Collection - standards; diet study techniques; Eating; Eating - psychology; Electronic appetite rating systems; energy intake; experimental design; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; human behavior; Humans; Hunger; Male; methods; Microcomputers; Motivation; nutrient intake; nutrition research; prediction; psychology; Psychometrics; Reproducibility of Results; Review article; satiety; Surveys and Questionnaires; validity; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Visual analogue scales; Appetite; Hunger; Electronic appetite rating systems; Visual analogue scales; Human; Feeding behavior; Methodology; Estimation; Review; Method; Feeding; Validity; Motivation; Food intake; Visual cue; Reliability

This present paper reviews the reliability and validity of visual analogue scales (VAS) in terms of (1) their ability to predict feeding behaviour, (2) their sensitivity to experimental manipulations, and (3) their reproducibility. VAS correlate with, but do not reliably predict, energy intake to th...