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Eating pattern inventory for children: A new self‐rating questionnaire for preadolescents
Author(s) -
Schacht Melanie,
RichterAppelt Hertha,
SchulteMarkwort Michael,
Hebebrand Johannes,
Schimmelmann Benno Graf
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of clinical psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.124
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1097-4679
pISSN - 0021-9762
DOI - 10.1002/jclp.20300
Subject(s) - psychology , eating disorders , clinical psychology , eating behavior , disordered eating , eating attitudes test , emotional eating , developmental psychology , obesity , medicine
Abstract A questionnaire on psychological dimensions of eating behavior in children is presented. Existing questionnaires for children specifically focus on symptoms of eating disorders only, whereas for adults, questionnaires assessing general psychological dimensions of eating behavior are also available. The development of the Eating Pattern Inventory for Children (EPI‐C) was based on a sample of 373 fourth‐grade students. Factor and item analysis led to a psychometrically sound 20‐item questionnaire with the dimensions dietary restraint, external eating, parental pressure to eat, and emotional eating. These factors explain 62% of the total item variance. Subscale scores and emerging eating patterns were associated with children's body weight suggesting initial evidence of its validity. The EPI‐C is proposed for research on eating behavior in clinical and non‐clinical preadolescent samples. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Psychol 62: 1259–1273, 2006.