WillTry Scale
Measures children's self-reported willingness to try common and novel fruits and vegetables, as well as their eating habits and preferences.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The WillTry Scale was developed by Thomson, McCabe-Sellers, Strickland, Lovera, Nuss, Yadrick, Duke, and Bogle (2010). It is designed to measure Willingness to try fruits and vegetables. The scale is intended for use with Children aged 5-14 years.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 20 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Willingness to Try Fruit, Willingness to Try Vegetables, Willingness to Try by Location, Picky Eating, Healthy Eating.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Willingness to Try Fruit | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 | 7 |
| Willingness to Try Vegetables | 8,9,10 | 3 |
| Willingness to Try by Location | 11,12,13,14,15,16 | 6 |
| Picky Eating | 17,18 | 2 |
| Healthy Eating | 19,20 | 2 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = No / Eat only favorite foods, 2 = Maybe / Sometimes / Eat most foods, 3 = Yes / Will eat anything offered.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 20 to 60. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low willingness and healthy eating patterns: 20 – 33
- Moderate willingness and healthy eating patterns: 34 – 47
- High willingness and healthy eating patterns: 48 – 60
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.