Psychometric analysis of the Children's Eating Attitudes Test in youth with overweight/obesity

Objective: Disordered eating attitudes and behaviors play a critical role in pediatric overweight and obesity and are important to measure in research and practice with this population. Disordered eating attitudes and behaviors in youth are commonly measured using the Children's Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT), which has not been psychometrically evaluated for use with youth with overweight and obesity. As such, it currently unknown whether the ChEAT provides a reliable measurement of a single underlying construct when applied in this population. Methods: Data from 400 treatment-seeking youth (aged 8 to 18) with overweight and obesity were drawn from two sites in the southern United States (54% female, 57% White). Psychometric properties of the ChEAT were evaluated in this combined sample using confirmatory bifactor modeling. Results: A confirmatory bifactor model with five group factors provided the best fit to the data and was used to generate numerous psychometric coefficients. The explained common variance (.36), omega hierarchical (.58), factor determinacy (.86), and construct replicability (.70) coefficients were all lower than recommended cutoff criteria. Both multidimensionality and excessive residual variance contributed to the ChEAT's poor psychometric performance in this sample. Conclusions: The ChEAT displayed marked psychometric problems in a large and diverse sample of youth with overweight and obesity. Its common variance was not unidimensional, its unit-weighted total score was not a reliable indicator of a broad central construct, and its optimally weighted total score was not likely to replicate across studies. We recommend using alternatives to the ChEAT when conducting research and practice with youth with overweight and obesity.

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Association of overweight and obesity with the risk of disordered eating attitudes and behaviors among Bangladeshi university students

Eating Behaviors ◽

10.1016/j.eatbeh.2021.101474 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 40 ◽

pp. 101474

Author(s):

Md. Hasan Al Banna ◽

Keith Brazendale ◽

Md Shafiqul Islam Khan ◽

Abu Sayeed ◽

M. Tasdik Hasan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

University Students ◽

Disordered Eating ◽

Eating Attitudes ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Attitudes And Behaviors ◽

And Behaviors ◽

Disordered Eating Attitudes

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Disordered Eating Attitudes and Behaviors in Youth with Overweight and Obesity: Implications for Treatment

Current Obesity Reports ◽

10.1007/s13679-018-0316-9 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 7 (3) ◽

pp. 235-246 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

Jacqueline F. Hayes ◽

Ellen E. Fitzsimmons-Craft ◽

Anna M. Karam ◽

Jessica Jakubiak ◽

Mackenzie L. Brown ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Disordered Eating ◽

Eating Attitudes ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Attitudes And Behaviors ◽

And Behaviors ◽

Disordered Eating Attitudes

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Permanent change of station moves and disordered-eating attitudes and behaviors in prevention-seeking adolescent military-dependents

Eating Behaviors ◽

10.1016/j.eatbeh.2020.101470 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 40 ◽

pp. 101470

Author(s):

M.K. Higgins Neyland ◽

Lisa M. Shank ◽

Jason M. Lavender ◽

Alexander Rice ◽

Rachel Schindler ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Disordered Eating ◽

Eating Attitudes ◽

Military Dependents ◽

Permanent Change ◽

Attitudes And Behaviors ◽

And Behaviors ◽

Disordered Eating Attitudes

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Disordered Eating Attitudes and Behaviors of Dietetics Students

Topics in Clinical Nutrition ◽

10.1097/tin.0000000000000260 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 36 (4) ◽

pp. 299-310

Author(s):

Daniela Novotny ◽

Eric Matthews ◽

Sara M. Powell

Keyword(s):

Disordered Eating ◽

Eating Attitudes ◽

Attitudes And Behaviors ◽

And Behaviors ◽

Disordered Eating Attitudes

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Does perfectionism mediate or moderate the relation between body dissatisfaction and disordered eating attitudes and behaviors?

Eating Behaviors ◽

10.1016/j.eatbeh.2009.05.002 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 168-175 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Elisabeth Welch ◽

Jessie L. Miller ◽

Ata Ghaderi ◽

Tracy Vaillancourt

Keyword(s):

Body Dissatisfaction ◽

Disordered Eating ◽

Eating Attitudes ◽

Attitudes And Behaviors ◽

And Behaviors ◽

Disordered Eating Attitudes

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The paths to children’s disordered eating: The implications of BMI, weight-related victimization, body dissatisfaction and parents’ disordered eating

Clinical Psychology in Europe ◽

10.32872/cpe.v2i1.2689 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Marilou Côté ◽

Maxime Legendre ◽

Annie Aimé ◽

Marie-Christine Brault ◽

Jacinthe Dion ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Dissatisfaction ◽

Disordered Eating ◽

Indirect Effect ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Eating Attitudes ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Mediating Role ◽

Attitudes And Behaviors ◽

And Behaviors ◽

Disordered Eating Attitudes

Background Being the target of peer victimization is frequent among children categorized as overweight and obese and is thought to play a central role in disordered eating behavior development. In accordance with a previous theoretical model, this cross-sectional study aimed to replicate among children the mediating role of weight-related victimization from peers and body dissatisfaction in the association between body mass index (BMI) and children’s disordered eating attitudes and behaviors (CDEAB), while also taking into account the contribution of parents’ disordered eating attitudes and behaviors (PDEAB). Methods Participants were 874 children aged between 8 and 12 years old who were recruited in elementary schools. Height and weight were measured and used to calculate BMI. Self-reported questionnaires were used to measure weight-related victimization, body dissatisfaction, CDEAB and PDEAB. Results For both girls and boys, a path analysis showed no direct effect of BMI on CDEAB, but a significant indirect effect was found, indicating that weight-related victimization and body dissatisfaction mediated this relationship. In addition, the indirect effect of weight-related victimization and body dissatisfaction remained significant even when controlling for PDEAB. Conclusion While weight itself appears to be insufficient to explain CDEAB, weight-related victimization may lead children to see their weight as problematic and develop disordered attitudes and behaviors toward eating. This suggests that weight-related victimization from peers and body dissatisfaction must be taken seriously and that preventive and intervention efforts must be pursued.

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The central role of body image in the explanation of the engagement in disordered eating attitudes and behaviors

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2017.01.778 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 41 (S1) ◽

pp. S550-S550

Author(s):

C. Ferreira ◽

A.L. Mendes ◽

J. Marta-Simões

Keyword(s):

Body Image ◽

Disordered Eating ◽

Dietary Restraint ◽

Eating Attitudes ◽

Cognitive Fusion ◽

Psychological Inflexibility ◽

Eating Psychopathology ◽

Attitudes And Behaviors ◽

And Behaviors ◽

Disordered Eating Attitudes

Shame is a universal emotion, that has been emphasized as a pathogenic phenomenon in well-being and mental health. In fact, although shame has been considered an adaptive defensive response, higher levels of this painful emotion are strongly associated with different mental health conditions. The current study aimed to test whether the association of external shame with eating psychopathology would be explained by the mechanisms of body image-related cognitive fusion, psychological inflexibility, and also dietary restraint. A path analysis testing a mediational model was conducted in a sample of 787 women from the general community, aged between 18 and 51 years old. The tested model accounted for 71% of the variance of eating psychopathology and revealed an excellent fit to the data. Results demonstrated that external shame's impact on disordered eating attitudes and behaviors is indirect, carried through increased body image-related cognitive fusion, psychological inflexibility related to physical appearance, and dietary restraint. These findings seem to support the association between shame and eating psychopathology. Furthermore, these data add to literature by suggesting that individuals who present higher levels of shame may present increased tendency to engage in dietary restraint and other maladaptive eating behaviors, through higher levels of body image-related psychological inflexibility and cognitive fusion. The current study seems to hold important clinical implications, highlighting the importance of developing intervention programs in the community which target shame and body image-related maladaptive attitudes and behaviors and, in turn, promote adaptive emotion regulation strategies (e.g., acceptance abilities).Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

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