1 Data Description

This dataset contains data on perceived compliance to the UK Eatwell guide (19 items) from a survey in 2021 of UK consumers (n=415). The original 15 item (Q1-Q15) Eatwell guide questionnaire was developed from the UK Eatwell guide (Public Health England 2018), with 4 additional items (Q16-Q19) added after examining the Vegetarian Eatwell guide (Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom 2018) and the Vegan Eatwell guide (Vegan Society 2020). Additional scales for eating healthy foods were from Norman et al. (2010), which include Change strategies (15 items), Enjoyment (7 items) and Environment (4 items). Demographic data (Type of Diet, Ethnicity, Gender and Age).

2 List of Questions

Data has been stored in the data tab of the file chew2021a.xlsx. A full description of each column is provided here.

2.1 Participants

The column Participants assigns a numeric code to each of the survey participants, starting with 2125 and ending with 2539.There were a total of 415 participants.

2.2 Eatwell guide questionnaire 2

Table 1. is a list of 19 questions. The original 15 item (Q1-Q15) questionnaire was developed from the UK Eatwell guide (Public Health England 2018), with 4 additional items (Q16-Q19) added after examining the Vegetarian Eatwell guide (Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom 2018) and the Vegan Eatwell guide (Vegan Society 2020).

Table 1. Question items from the Eatwell guide questionnaire version 2
Item1 Description2
Q1 In a typical week I tend to consume the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables.
Q2 In a typical week I limit my consumption of red meats.
Q3 In a typical week I try to include low fat dairy products/alternatives.
Q4 In a typical week I tend to limit my consumption of foods high in salt.
Q5 In a typical week I tend to limit my consumptions of food/drinks high in sugar.
Q6 In a typical week I tend to use low fat cooking methods such as steaming, grilling, baking etc.
Q7 When preparing a meal, typically I consider first starchy carbohydrates, e.g. bread, rice, potatoes & pasta.
Q8 In a typical week I tend to choose unsaturated oils and spreads (e.g. vegtable based fats such as olive oil as opposed to butter and lard).
Q9 In a typical week I tend to choose wholegrain options when available to me.
Q10 In a typical week I choose to include fish as a part of my diet.
Q11 In a typical week I tend to drink water over other beverages.
Q12 In a typical week I tend to limit my consumption of alcohol.
Q13 In a typical week I tend to limit my consumption of processed meats (e.g. bacon, ham, salami).
Q14 In a typical week I try to include beans, pulses and other protein sources.
Q15 In a typical week I try to include low sugar dairy products/alternatives.
Q16 In a typical week I tend to limit my consumption of processed plant-based foods (e.g. soy or pea-protein burgers, sausages, nuggets).
Q17 In a typical week I choose to include walnuts/ground linseed/or seed rich in omega 3.
Q18 In a typical week I try to consume fortified foods containing minerals or vitamins, for example, vitamin D, iodine, selenium or Vitamin B12.
Q19 In a typical week I try to consume mineral or vitamin supplements, for example, vitamin D, iodine, selenium or vitamin B12.
1 Items are column headers in the data tab.
2 All item responses were rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly disagree;2 = Disagree;3 = Neither agree nor disagree; 4 = Agree; 5 = Strongly agree).

2.3 Change strategies for healthy eating scale

Table 2. is a list of 15 questions examining behaviour change strategies for healthy eating The original questionnaire, with a slightly different category rating scale, can be found in the section on electronic supplementary material (Norman et al. 2010).

Table 2. Change strategies for healthy eating
Item1 Description2
Q63 I look for information about eating healthy foods.
Q64 I keep track of what I eat.
Q65 I find ways to get around the things that get in the way of eating healthy foods.
Q66 I think about how my surroundings affect the foods I eat (surroundings are things like fast food restaurants, vending machines, and pre-packaged foods in the store).
Q67 I put reminders around my house to eat healthy foods.
Q68 I reward myself for eating healthy foods.
Q69 I do things to make eating healthy foods more enjoyable.
Q70 I think about the benefits I will get from eating healthy foods.
Q71 I try to think more about the benefits of eating healthy foods and less about the hassles of eating healthy foods.
Q72 I say positive things to myself about eating healthy foods.
Q73 When I get off track from my healthy eating goals, I tell myself I can start again and get right back on track.
Q74 I have a friend or family member who encourages me to eat healthy foods.
Q75 I try different kinds of healthy foods so that I have more choices.
Q76 I set goals to eat healthy foods.
Q77 I make back-up plans to be sure I eat healthy foods.
1 Items are column headers in the data tab.
2 All item responses were rated on a 5-point category scale (1 = Never;2 = Rarely;3 = Sometimes; 4 = Often; 5 = Always).

2.4 Enjoyment of eating healthy foods scale

Table 3. is a list of 7 questions examining the enjoyment of eating healthy food. The original questionnaire can be found in the section on electronic supplementary material (Norman et al. 2010).

Table 3. Enjoyment of eating healthy foods
Item1 Description2
Q78 I enjoy low fat (1%) or non-fat dairy products (e.g. milk, cheese, yoghurt).
Q79 I enjoy eating fresh fruits.
Q80 I enjoy eating fresh, raw and cooked vegetables.
Q81 I enjoy eating whole grain breads and crackers.
Q82 I enjoy eating high fibre breakfast cereals.
Q83 I enjoy eating lean cuts of meat.
Q84 I enjoy eating foods containing cooked beans (e.g. kidney, pinto).
1 Items are column headers in the data tab.
2 All item responses were rated on a 6-point Likert scale (0 = I do not include them in my diet; 1 = Strongly disagree;2=Somewhat Disagree;3 = Neutral; 4 = Somewhat Agree; 5 = Strongly agree). The category ‘I do not include them in my diet’ was added to the original 5-point Likert scale.

2.5 Food environment for healthy eating scale

Table 4. is a list of 4 questions examining the availability of healthy foods. The original questionnaire can be found in the section on electronic supplementary material (Norman et al. 2010).

Table 4. Food environment
Item1 Description2
Q85 There is at least one option at work where I have healthy selections to choose from.
Q86 There is a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables where I shop.
Q87 The fruits and vegetables where I shop (including online) are at good prices.
Q88 The fruits and vegetables where I shop (including online) are of good quality.
1 Items are column headers in the data tab.
2 All item responses were rated on a 6-point Likert scale (0 = I do not include them in my diet; 1 = Strongly disagree;2 = Somewhat Disagree;3 = Neutral; 4 = Somewhat Agree; 5 = Strongly agree). The category ‘I do not include them in my diet’ was added to the original 5-point Likert scale.

2.6 Demographic variables

Table 4. is a list of 7 demographic question items.

Table 5. Demographics
Description1
Diet2 What type of dietary behaviour best describes you?
Ethnicity3 What is your ethnic group?
Gender4 What is your gender?
Age5 What is your age group?
BMI6 Body Mass Index
Height7 What is your height (approximately)?
Weight8 What is your weight (approximately)?
1 Description of each question item. Items are column headers in the data tab.
2 5-point category scale (Omnivore; Pescatarian; Vegetarian; Vegan; PNTS = Prefer Not to Say).
3 6-point category scale (White; Asian = Asian/Asian British (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Chinese or any other Asian background); Black = Black/African/Caribbean/Black British; Mixed = Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups (White and Black Caribbean, White and Asian or any other mixed/multiple ethnic background); Other = Other ethnic group; PNTS = Prefer Not to Say).
4 3-point category scale (Female; Male; PNTS = Prefer Not to Say).
5 8-point category scale (18-24; 25-34;35-44;45-54; 55-64; 65-74; 75+ = Greater or equal to 75 years old; PNTS = Prefer Not to Say).
6 BMI calculated from data from Column Height and Weight.
7 Height for all individuals are in meters (m)
8 Weight for all participants are in kilograms (Kg)

References

Norman, Gregory J., Jordan A. Carlson, James F. Sallis, Nicole Wagner, Karen J. Calfas, and Kevin Patrick. 2010. “Reliability and Validity of Brief Psychosocial Measures Related to Dietary Behaviors.” International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 7 (1): 56. https://doi.org/10.1186/1479-5868-7-56.
Public Health England. 2018. “The Eatwell Guide: Helping You Eat a Healthy, Balanced Diet.” https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/742750/Eatwell_Guide_booklet_2018v4.pdf.
Vegan Society. 2020. “Vegan Eatwell Guide.” https://www.vegansociety.com/sites/default/files/uploads/downloads/The%20Vegan%20Eatwell%20Guide_1.pdf.
Vegetarian Society of the United Kingdom. 2018. “Vegetarian Eatwell Guide.” https://vegsoc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Eatwell_guide_veggie_MAR2018.pdf.