The Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire: factorial validity and association with Body Mass Index in Dutch children aged 6–7

Carel Thijs,Ester FC Sleddens,Stef PJ Kremers

doi:10.1186/1479-5868-5-49

Abstract

BackgroundThe Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) is a parent-report measure designed to assess variation in eating style among children. In the present study we translated the CEBQ and examined its factor structure in a sample of parents of 6- and 7-year-old children in the Netherlands. Additionally, associations between the mean scale scores of the instrument and children's body mass index (BMI) were assessed.MethodsIn total, 135 parents of primary school children aged 6 and 7 completed the questionnaire (response rate 41.9%). Children's BMI was converted into standardised z-scores, adjusted for child gender and age to examine the association between mean scale scores and child weight status.ResultsResults generally confirmed the theoretical factor structure, with acceptable internal reliability and between-subscale correlations. Linear regression analyses revealed that BMI z-scores were positively associated with the 'food approach' subscales of the CEBQ (food responsiveness, enjoyment of food, emotional overeating) (β's 0.15 to 0.22) and negatively with 'food avoidant' subscales (satiety responsiveness, slowness in eating, emotional undereating, and food fussiness) (β's -0.09 to -0.25). Significant relations with child BMI z-scores were found for food responsiveness (p = 0.02), enjoyment of food (p = 0.03), satiety responsiveness (p = 0.01) and slowness in eating (p = 0.01).ConclusionThe results support the use of the CEBQ as a psychometrically sound tool for assessing children's eating behaviours in Dutch children and the study demonstrates its applicability in overweight-related studies.

Highlights

The Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) is a parent-report measure designed to assess variation in eating style among children
No other validation studies have been performed on the CEBQ, but the instrument has been used for different research purposes, e.g., to examine associations with child body mass index (BMI) [6,12,13]; to compare appetite preferences in children of lean and obese parents [12,14]; to discover continuity and stability in children's eating behaviours across time [15]; and to examine eating behaviours of children with idiopathic short stature [16]
The items from two scales (EOE and food responsiveness (FR)) loaded onto the same factor, which we propose to name 'overeating'

Summary

Introduction

The Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) is a parent-report measure designed to assess variation in eating style among children. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity 2008, 5:49 http://www.ijbnpa.org/content/5/1/49 underlying child behaviours that might contribute to differences in weight status across children [5,6,7] Unravelling these factors will inform the development of evidencebased intervention programs to prevent overweight and obesity in children. No other validation studies have been performed on the CEBQ, but the instrument has been used for different research purposes, e.g., to examine associations with child body mass index (BMI) [6,12,13]; to compare appetite preferences in children of lean and obese parents [12,14]; to discover continuity and stability in children's eating behaviours across time [15]; and to examine eating behaviours of children with idiopathic short stature [16]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion