Assessing Evidence of Validity for the Intuitive Eating Scale-2 among Adult Latina Women

Hala Madanat,Michelle Takemoto,Amanda Gonzales,Elinor Gaida,Eric R Walsh-Buhi,Jessica Hawks,Eliana Miranda

doi:10.4236/health.2020.124024

Abstract

Introduction/Background: No research has been conducted on the relevance of intuitive eating as a promising strategy for sustainable weight management among Latinas. This study translated Tylka and Kroon Van Diest’s (2013) Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2) into Spanish and employed an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to examine evidence of validity. Methods: We recruited Latinas from community venues in South San Diego, California to participate in this cross-sectional study. Inclusion criteria were: at least 18 years of age, monolingual Spanish or bilingual English/Spanish speaker, and self-identified Latina. In total, 150 Latinas completed a structured, face-to-face interview, which included the Spanish IES-2. Data were used in conducting an EFA. Results: Four items were removed for not loading on the initial EFA. Once items were removed, we extracted five factors with Eigenvalues greater than 1, which accounted for almost two-thirds of the variance. Of the four original IES-2 factors, two were retained identically: Reliance on Hunger and Satiety Cues (RHSC) and Body-Food Choice Congruence (B-FCC). The Eating for Physical Rather than Emotional Reasons (EPR) subscale lost one item in the initial EFA, and was not unidimensional, resulting in two separate subscales. Evidence of score reliability was marginal to strong (α = 0.63 - 0.87). Discussion: This study is first to provide evidence of validity and reliability for a Spanish translation of the IES-2. The results suggest that the proposed Spanish IES-2 can be used to study intuitive eating behaviors and attitudes among Latinas. However, further research with larger sample sizes and other diverse populations are suggested.

Highlights

Overweight, obesity, and cardiovascular disease have a major impact on women of Hispanic or Latin American origins in the U.S A disproportionate percentage of adult Latinas*1 (77.2%) are overweight or obese, compared with 65.8% of non-Latina adult women [1]
The results suggest that the proposed Spanish Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2) can be used to study intuitive eating behaviors and attitudes among Latinas
The Eating for Physical Rather than Emotional Reasons (EPR) subscale lost one item in the initial exploratory factor analysis (EFA) (Item 15, I find other ways to cope with stress and anxiety than by eating), and was not unidimensional, resulting in two separate subscales one (ERP-1) with regular coded items and the second subscale (ERP-2) including only reverse-coded items

Summary

Introduction

Overweight, obesity, and cardiovascular disease have a major impact on women of Hispanic or Latin American origins in the U.S A disproportionate percentage of adult Latinas*1 (77.2%) are overweight or obese, compared with 65.8% of non-Latina adult women [1]. Latinas have the second highest prevalence of obesity of all ethnic groups behind non-Latina Black women [1]. Evidence suggests that changes in dietary behavior due to acculturation—the process by which individuals adapt to and adopt the dominant culture’s beliefs, attitudes, and practices—may be partially responsible for the disproportionate prevalence of overweight and obesity among Latinas [4]. More acculturated Puerto Ricans eat higher amounts of saturated fat, consume less starchy vegetable, legume, and cereal fiber than their less acculturated counterparts [5]. Findings indicate that Latinos’ diet quality generally decreases as individuals become more acculturated, with the exception of higher vegetable intake [6]

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