Understanding the Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ): What it is and How it Works

December 9, 2025 •

2 min read

The Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ), a multidimensional instrument developed by Steptoe and colleagues in 1995, is a validated tool designed to systematically assess the psychological and behavioral factors influencing dietary decisions. It helps researchers and public health professionals understand why people choose the foods they do, moving beyond simple nutritional data.

Quick Summary

The FCQ is a survey tool that measures an individual's primary motives for food choices, covering nine dimensions such as sensory appeal, health, price, and mood. It provides insight into the complex factors driving dietary behaviors for use in research and public health initiatives.

Key Points

Origin: The FCQ was developed in 1995 by Steptoe, Pollard, and Wardle to measure the underlying motivations for food choices.
Core Dimensions: The original questionnaire evaluates nine main factors: health, mood, convenience, sensory appeal, natural content, price, weight control, familiarity, and ethical concern.
Methodology: It uses a Likert-type scale where individuals rate the importance of various statements about their food choices.
Adaptations: The FCQ has been culturally adapted and validated for many different populations, leading to updated versions that incorporate new factors.
Applications: The tool is used in public health, nutrition research, and market analysis to understand and influence dietary behaviors across different demographic groups.
Evolution: Modern versions, like the U-FCQ, expand on the original model by adding new dimensions such as environmental awareness and food identity.

The Purpose and Origin of the Food Choice Questionnaire

Developed in 1995 by researchers Steptoe, Pollard, and Wardle, the original Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) was created to address a lack of comprehensive tools for understanding dietary behavior. It provides a multidimensional framework to analyze the factors behind food selection. The FCQ assesses the importance individuals place on various factors related to dietary choices, offering insights for public health, nutritional consulting, and food marketing. By categorizing a range of factors, the FCQ allows for quantitative analysis of food choice motives and helps explain variations in dietary intake based on demographics. This systematic approach has made the FCQ a standard method for investigating food choice motivations and has been widely adopted and adapted globally.

The Nine Dimensions of the Original FCQ

The initial 1995 version of the FCQ included 36 items covering nine core dimensions that influence food selection. These dimensions include health, mood, convenience, sensory appeal, natural content, price, weight control, familiarity, and ethical concern.

How the FCQ Measures Food Choice Motives

The FCQ uses a Likert-type scale for participants to rate the importance of each item, typically ranging from 'Not at all important' to 'Very important'. An example item could be a statement about the importance of food tasting good. Responses are then analyzed to understand individual and group motives.

Evolution and Cultural Adaptation of the FCQ

The FCQ has been adapted for different populations and modern trends. These adaptations can include new items and dimensions. Studies show that the original nine-factor model may not apply universally, highlighting the need for culturally specific versions developed through translation and validation.

Applications in Research and Public Health

The FCQ is used in various research areas such as explaining dietary variations, analyzing different diet types, developing public health strategies, and informing product development.

A Comparison of Original vs. Updated FCQ Models


Feature	Original FCQ (Steptoe et al., 1995)	Updated FCQ (U-FCQ, Mexican adaptation)
Items	36 items	75 items
Dimensions	9 dimensions	8 dimensions
Factor Composition	Separate factors for health, natural content, and weight control	Combined factors, e.g., 'health and natural content'
New Factors	No new factors	Includes new dimensions like 'environmental and wildlife awareness', 'food identity', and 'image management'
Cultural Relevance	Designed for Western contexts	Culturally adapted for a specific population (e.g., Mexican)

Conclusion

The Food Choice Questionnaire is a foundational and adaptable tool for understanding the complex motivations behind human food choices. The original nine-factor structure provided a systematic way to analyze influences. The FCQ has evolved with adaptations to remain relevant across diverse cultures. It is an essential tool for researchers, clinicians, and policy-makers. For more detailed information, consult the original 1995 research paper or the {Link: MDPI website https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/21/3749}.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Food Choice Questionnaire (FCQ) was originally developed by Andrew Steptoe, Tanya M. Pollard, and Jane Wardle in 1995 to systematically measure the different motives behind food choices.

The FCQ measures the importance individuals place on a wide range of factors influencing their dietary choices. The original version assessed nine dimensions: health, mood, convenience, sensory appeal, natural content, price, weight control, familiarity, and ethical concern.

Yes, the FCQ is still widely used in nutrition and health psychology research. It has also been adapted and updated over time to remain relevant, with modern versions incorporating new factors like sustainability.

Yes, the FCQ has been adapted and validated for use in many different cultural contexts, such as Brazilian and Mexican populations. Research suggests that cultural differences may affect which factors are most important in food choices.

Participants typically rate each item on a Likert-type scale, which could have four, five, or seven points. The scores for items within each dimension are then averaged to determine the importance of that factor to the individual.

Updated versions, such as the U-FCQ, have more items and dimensions than the original 36-item, nine-factor version. New factors may include environmental awareness and food identity to reflect modern influences on diet.

Public health professionals use FCQ results to identify the key food choice motives within a population. This information helps them design and implement targeted health promotion campaigns and educational strategies aimed at improving dietary habits.