Validation of a Shortened Version of the Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire and Associations with BMI in a Clinical Sample of Latino Children

Abstract

ObjectiveTo examine the validity of the Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ) through the associations of its 3 subscale scores (food responsiveness, slowness in eating, and satiety responsiveness) with body mass index (BMI). DesignCross-sectional study of baseline data from a clinic-based obesity prevention and control randomized controlled trial. ParticipantsLatino pediatric patients (n = 295) aged 5–11 years from a federally qualified health center in San Diego County, CA, with BMI percentiles ranging from 75.5 to 99.0. Main Outcome MeasureChild BMI-for-age percentile computed using the standardized program for the 2000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention growth charts. AnalysisPrincipal components analysis and multivariate linear regressions. ResultsPrincipal components analysis showed a factor structure relatively similar to that of the original 3 CEBQ subscales, with acceptable internal consistency and between-subscale correlations. Analyses demonstrated the validity of the 3 subscales: child BMI was positively associated with food responsiveness (β = .336; P ≤ .001) and negatively associated with slowness in eating (β = −.209; P ≤ .001) and satiety responsiveness (β = −.211; P ≤ .001). Conclusions and ImplicationsThe 14-item CEBQ scale may be useful for assessing obesogenic eating behaviors of Latino children. Further study is needed to replicate these findings.