Does Food Neophobia Affect Dietary Diversity and Treatment Adherence in Individuals With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus? A Pilot Study From Türkiye

ABSTRACT

Food neophobia is defined as reluctance to eat new foods and avoidance of unfamiliar products. In individuals diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) may be associated with reduced dietary diversity and poorer adherence to T2DM treatment. Therefore, this study aimed to examine the association between food neophobia, dietary diversity, and adherence to treatment in individuals with T2DM. The cross‐sectional research included 35 individuals with T2DM who were monitored at the Internal Medicine Outpatient Clinic of Çankırı State Hospital, and 35 healthy individuals the same outpatient clinic. Demographic characteristics, Adherence Scale to Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Treatment, Dietary Diversity Score and the Foods Neophobia Scale were recorded using a questionnaire administered by the researchers via face‐to‐face interviews. HbA1c levels were obtained from the hospital's electronic database. The findings indicated that elevated food neophobia scores were linked to lower dietary diversity and poorer treatment adherence among individuals with T2DM. However, no statistically significant difference was found between the healthy participants and those with T2DM regarding food neophobia scores. These findings suggest that food neophobia may be related to lower dietary diversity and poorer treatment adherence in individuals with T2DM. Addressing food neophobia may be an important strategy to increase dietary diversity and improve treatment adherence in individuals with T2DM.