Abstract

RUBIO, M. A. et al. Design and validation of a scale to assess preferences of type 2 diabetic patients towards different nutritional supplements. Nutr. Hosp. [online]. 2008, vol.23, n.3, pp.253-262. ISSN 1699-5198.

Objectives: To design and validate a scale to evaluate preferences of type 2 diabetic patients towards nutritional supplements (Madrid scale) and to discover those taste attributes that are more discriminating. Context: ambulatory patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Materials and methods: 18 controls and 106 type 2 diabetic patients received 2 of the 7 stimuli studied (6 nutritional supplements and a differential salty stimulus) and then completed both scales and a criterion question. Two weeks later, 30 diabetic patients received a retest. The psychometric properties of the Madrid scale were studied and the relative importance of each stimuli attribute was assessed. Results: Feasibility: The Madrid scale consists of 8 questions and is completed in less than five minutes; Dimensionality: A single dimension which explains 45.1% of the variance. Reliability: Cronbach's , 0.806; intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.835 (95% confidence interval: 0.653-0.922). Concurrent validity: Correlation indexes of the corrected total score with the criterion question and the Modified Wine-Tasting Scale, 0.731 (p < 0.0005) and 0.774 (p < 0.0005), respectively. The scale discriminated between subjects younger and older than 75 years and between supplements and the differential stimulus. Preferences: Glucerna SR^® chocolate, Glucerna SR^® strawberry, Glucerna SR^® vanilla, Diasip^® vanilla, Clinutren^®vanilla and Resource diabet^® vanilla. Conclusion: The Madrid scale has adequate psychometric properties for its use in research and daily clinical practice.

Keywords : Diabetes mellitus; Preferences; Nutritional supplements; Dimensional scaling.

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