The Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) for assessment of restrained, emotional, and external eating behavior

TLDR

The external validity of the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire has not yet been examined. The study describes the development of the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire with scales for restrained, emotional, and external eating. Factor analyses confirmed single factors for restrained and external eating and two factors for emotional eating, supporting the questionnaire’s structure. Item‑total correlations and factor structures were stable across subsamples, and the scales demonstrated high internal consistency and factorial validity.

Abstract

The development of the Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (DEBQ) with scales for restrained, emotional, and external eating is described. Factor analyses have shown that all items on restrained and external eating each have high loadings on one factor, but items on emotional eating have two dimensions, one dealing with eating in response to diffuse emotions, and the other with eating in response to clearly labelled emotions. The pattern of corrected item-total correlation coefficients and of the factors was very similar for various subsamples, which indicates a high degree of stability of dimensions on the eating behavior scales. The norms and Cronbach's alpha coefficients of the scales and also the Pearson's correlation coefficients to assess interrelationships between scales indicate that the scales have a high internal consistency and factorial validity. However, their external validity has yet to be investigated.