[Validation of the Emotional Eating Questionnaire in Mexican adults with overweight and obesity].

Abstract

Introduction: negative emotions and persistent stress can lead to abnormal compensatory behaviors, known as emotional eating (EE). However, there is a gap in research aimed at validating EE questionnaires for specific populations.

Objective: to validate the Emotional Eating Questionnaire (EEQ) in overweight and obese Mexican adults.

Methods: this is a clinimetric study. Participants included sedentary individuals aged 18 to 60 years with overweight or obesity. The study comprised three phases: a Delphi panel to validate content, administration of the EEQ to a sample of at least 300 participants, and a retest of the EEQ with 15 % of the sample to assess test-retest reliability. Criterion validity was evaluated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The CFA goodness of fit, reliability via Cronbach's alpha and Dillon-Goldstein's rho, and test-retest reliability with the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were verified.

Results: a total of 508 participants were recruited (123 men and 385 women), with an average age of 44.5 years (standard deviation = 10.6). The average BMI was 32.5 (range, 27.0-59.3). The Delphi panel validated the content in 2 rounds. The CFA showed excellent goodness of fit. Internal consistency was adequate (Cronbach's alpha, 0.822; Dillon-Goldstein's rho, 0.863). Test-retest reliability was acceptable (ICC, 0.60) in 78 participants reassessed.

Conclusion: the EEQ was shown to be reliable and valid for assessing emotional eating in overweight and obese Mexican adults, distinguished by its simplicity and ease of use among participants.