Abstract
The French version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), used to evaluate food addiction symptomatology, has only been validated among the general population. The aim of this study was thus to explore the psychometric properties (factor structure, internal consistency, convergent and divergent validity) of the French version of the YFAS in a clinical sample, namely individuals suffering from severe obesity and awaiting bariatric surgery. Participants (N = 146; mean BMI = 48.29 kg/m2) were recruited at the Quebec Heart and Lung Institute (Canada) during their pre-operative visit. They were asked to complete questionnaires, including the YFAS. Factorial and correlational analyses were performed. Some items had to be removed from the factorial analysis due to a lack of variability (#4, #10, #11, #12, and #22) and low factor loading (#24). The analysis conducted on the remaining 16 items revealed a one-factor structure, with factor loadings higher than .30 and excellent internal consistency (α = .92). The present findings are consistent with previous validation studies of samples presenting obesity and support the use of a 16-item version of the French YFAS among bariatric candidates. However, the need for further investigation remains important in order to better assess the stability of the instrument when used in clinical samples.
Highlights
The growing interest of many researchers in the field of obesity has recently led to a rapidly expanding body of literature regarding the concept of food addiction (FA)
The aim of this study was to explore the psychometric properties of the French version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) in a clinical sample, namely individuals suffering from severe obesity and awaiting bariatric surgery
MPlus warned that one of the response options for each of these items was poorly represented within the sample: for instance, item 22 was endorsed by many participants (94%), while items 4, 10, 11, and 12 were endorsed by few participants
Summary
The growing interest of many researchers in the field of obesity has recently led to a rapidly expanding body of literature regarding the concept of food addiction (FA). Following the DSM-IV-TR substance dependence diagnostic criteria (American Psychiatric Association, 2000), the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) was developed as a self-reported questionnaire designed to operationalize FA (Gearhardt, Corbin, & Brownell, 2009). Analyses examining the item-based scoring option showed a one-factor structure as well as good internal consistency (α = .86), when removing item 24. This item, which assesses failed attempts to reduce highly palatable food consumption, was considered problematic in light of low factor loading and poor correlations with the remaining items. Analyses examining the criteria-based scoring option showed a one-factor structure and satisfying internal consistency (α = .75). An absence of association has been noted between FA and dietary restraint (Gearhardt, White, Masheb, Morgan, Crosby, & Grilo, 2012; Gearhardt, White, Masheb, & Grilo, 2013; Meule, Heckel, Jurowich, Vogele, & Kubler, 2014)
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