Psychometric properties of the Dietarian Identity Questionnaire among vegetarians

Abstract

The decision to follow a vegetarian diet is intertwined with an individual’s sense of identity. Whereas many qualitative studies have investigated identity aspects of vegetarianism, quantitative research in this domain is profoundly lacking. By assessing how people think, feel, and behave when it comes to eating or not eating animal products, Rosenfeld and Burrow (2018) Dietarian Identity Questionnaire (DIQ) can serve a valuable role in advancing quantitative research on vegetarian identity. First, however, it is important to ensure that the DIQ exhibits psychometrically sound properties among vegetarians, as Rosenfeld and Burrow (2018) validated the factor structure of the DIQ in samples comprised predominantly of meat-eaters. In the current research, I validated the DIQ’s factor structure in a large sample of vegetarians (N = 992) by evaluating its items’ factor loadings, model fit (including CFI, RMSEA, and SRMR), and subscales’ internal consistencies. I also evaluated the DIQ variables’ distributions and intercorrelations. Results suggest that the DIQ offers a suitable measure for assessing how vegetarians think, feel, and behave with respect to following their diets. Directions for the use of the DIQ in future research on vegetarianism are discussed.