Dietary Adherence in Well-Controlled Feeding Studies

In well-controlled feeding studies, participants are expected to adhere to a strict diet by consuming only and all foods provided by the research kitchen. They may find adherence more of a challenge with certain study design features. To assess this we mailed a poststudy anonymous questionnaire to participants who had completed one of eight controlled feeding studies at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA. Of the 154 respondents, more than 90% always or usually adhered to the diet. Of those who did not adhere, many deviated fewer than four times. Eating all of the foods provided was a greater challenge than refraining from eating foods not allowed. Diet assignment, the allowance of alcohol, and a self-selected Saturday meal affected adherence. The results of this research may be useful in designing controlled feeding studies. Our data indicate that diet adherence is good, and because deviations are few, they are unlikely to jeopardize study results.