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 27 items organized into 6 factors/subscales: Willingness to Try Fruit, Willingness to Try Vegetables, General Food Questions, Location Willingness, Picky Eating, Healthy Eating.
| Factor / Subscale |
Items |
N |
| Willingness to Try Fruit |
1,4,5,6,7,9,10,11,12,13 |
10 |
| Willingness to Try Vegetables |
2,3,8,14 |
4 |
| General Food Questions |
15,16,17 |
3 |
| Location Willingness |
18,19,20,21,22,23 |
6 |
| Picky Eating |
24,25 |
2 |
| Healthy Eating |
26,27 |
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 23 to 69. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low willingness to try new foods: 23 – 38
- Moderate willingness to try new foods: 39 – 54
- High willingness to try new foods: 55 – 69
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified.
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.