ADAPTATION QUANTITATIVE DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS (QDA®) AS A FOOD AND NUTRITION EDUCATION STRATEGY

Introduction. Food and Nutrition Education (FNE) increasingly incorporate approaches that promote awareness during food consumption, encouraging healthier and more conscious eating behaviors. Mindful eating emphasizes attention to sensory experiences, thoughts, and emotions related to food intake. In this context, Quantitative Descriptive Analysis (QDA®), traditionally applied for sensory characterization of foods, may represent an innovative educational strategy by training individuals to recognize and interpret sensory attributes. Objectives. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of an adapted QDA® methodology on sensory perception and mindful eating behaviors. Methods. A quantitative intervention study was conducted with 30 adult habitual chocolate consumers (mean age: 22 years), allocated into control (n=15) and intervention groups (n=15). Both groups completed the Mindful Eating Questionnaire (MEQ), composed of 28 items distributed across five domains: disinhibition, awareness, external cues, emotional response, and distraction. Participants in the intervention group subsequently underwent four 1-hour QDA® training sessions focused on chocolate samples, including descriptor generation, sensory references, and intensity evaluations. After the intervention, the MEQ was administered again. Data was analyzed using Tukey’s Honestly Significant Difference test (p ≤ 0.05). Results. The results showed significant differences between the control and post-intervention groups in the awareness and distraction domains. Following QDA® training, participants reported greater perception of subtle flavors, increased appreciation of color and aroma, and enhanced attention to product appearance (60%). In addition, reductions in mind wandering, thoughts unrelated to eating, and rapid eating behaviors were observed. Sensory evaluations also demonstrated greater consistency and discrimination of aroma, flavor, sweetness, and texture attributes among trained participants. Conclusion. These findings suggest that adapting QDA® as an FNE strategy strengthens sensory may contribute to a more conscious relationship with food, highlighting a promising interface between sensory science and nutrition education.