Cubes and playdough are feasible and acceptable methods to estimate food group intake with the Global Diet Quality Score app

Background The Global Diet Quality Score application (GDQS app) enables standardized collection of dietary data across settings. The GDQS app allows for the use of 3-dimensional (3D)-printed cubes and playdough to estimate the amounts of food groups consumed for a 24-h reference period. This paper reports on the feasibility and acceptability of using a set of ten 3D cubes and playdough to estimate amounts consumed at the food group level among study participants. Methods Enumerators conducted face-to-face interviews using the GDQS app with 170 study participants (71% female; aged 18–73 years) living in the Washington DC metropolitan area. The participants reported their consumption for the prior 24-h and used 3D cubes and playdough to estimate the amount of each food group consumed. The order in which participants were offered the cubes and playdough was randomized. Respondent feedback on use of the 3D cubes and playdough was collected through a 5-point Likert scale and open-ended questions. Results Fewer than 2% of the study participants described either the cube or playdough method as ‘very difficult’. There was no statistically significant difference in preference between the two methods (45% preferred cubes and 55% preferred playdough, p  = 0.167). The preference for method varied by food group. Some patterns emerged, such as a preference for cubes for estimating liquids consumed and playdough for estimating fruits and irregularly shaped foods. Conclusion Both 3D cubes and playdough are feasible and acceptable methods for estimating GDQS food group intake, strengthening the evidence for the practicality of using the GDQS app for dietary data collection. Given the high acceptability of both methods, the choice of method—or the use of both in combination—for data collection should be guided by the operational context and resource availability. These findings reinforce the value of simplified, standardized tools for assessing diet quality across diverse field settings.