PREDICTING TREATMENT ATTENDANCE AND WEIGHT-LOSS - ASSESSING THE PSYCHOMETRIC PROPERTIES AND PREDICTIVE-VALIDITY OF THE DIETING READINESS TEST

The Dieting Readiness Test (DRT) has been recommended by the Institute of Medicine as a measure of diet and exercise-related motivation and attitudes in those about to embark on a weight loss program. However, little research is available regarding the psychometric properties of this instrument. We conducted a study to assess the psychometric prope rties and predictive validity of the DRT. A group of 410 obese adults seeking outpatient treatment at a university-based weight management c enter completed the DRT prior to engaging in a comprehensive medically monitored program. Principal-components factor analysis indicated a f ive-factor solution and acceptable internal consistency for the result ing scales. The Bingeing and Eating cues scale was negatively associat ed with program attendance. None of the four remaining scales correlat ed with either attendance or weight loss. We conclude that although th e DRT possesses a stable and interpretable structure and adequate inte rnal consistency, it does not appear to be a strong predictor of weigh t loss or treatment attendance.