Psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Emotional Eating Scale for children and adolescents

The effect of middle and high school students' emotional eating behavior on obesity

AIM

This study was conducted to determine the effect of middle and high school students' emotional eating behavior on obesity.

METHOD

A descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional study design was used. The sample consisted of 267 students studying in 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades. Data were collected using a Child Information Form and the Emotional Eating Scale. The researchers measured the students' height and weight and calculated their body mass indices (BMI), and BMI percentiles were evaluated according to age and gender. Percentage calculations, mean scores, Spearman correlation analysis, Pearson's correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis were used in the analysis of the data.

RESULTS

Of the students participating in the study, 54.7% were girl and 45.3% were boy. It was determined that 28.4% of the students were overweight and obese. As a result of multiple regression analysis, it was determined that students' emotional eating behavior explained 25% of obesity (p < 0.001). It was found that anxiety-anger- frustration, one of the subscales of the emotional eating scale, was the only variable that significantly predicted students' obesity status (β = 0.387). Emotional eating significantly predicted the obesity status of boy and girl students (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

In this study, it was concluded that students' emotional eating behavior affected obesity.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

In line with these results, it is recommended that studies on other variables that may predict the effect of students' emotional eating behavior on obesity should be conducted and that nurses should contact schools to conduct emotional eating behavior screenings and provide emotional eating education for students who exhibit emotional eating behavior.

Investigation of the relationships between mindfulness, emotional eating, weight control self-efficacy, and obesity in adolescents

PURPOSE

This research was conducted to examine the relationships between mindfulness, emotional eating, weight control self-efficacy, and obesity in adolescents.

DESIGN AND METHODS

The research was conducted with 198 adolescents aged 13-18 years in three high schools in the central county of a province in Türkiye. Data were collected using a sociodemographic information form, the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale-Adolescents, the Emotional Eating Scale for Children and Adolescents, and the Weight-Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire for Adolescents-Short Form. In this study, adolescents' height and weight were measured to determine the effects of the study variables on their body mass indexes (BMIs).

RESULTS

The variables were analyzed according to BMI. The mean age of the adolescents participating in the research was 15.25 ± 1.01 years; 52% were female, and 85% were ninth-grade high school students. Their mean height was 170.33 ± 8.59 cm, and their mean weight was 62.24 ± 12.84 kg. The adolescents' BMI was found to have a low-level, significant negative correlation with their mindfulness, a low-level, significant positive correlation with their emotional eating, and a low-level significant negative correlation with their weight control self-efficacy. Adolescents' mindfulness, emotional eating, and weight control self-efficacy scores significantly predicted their BMI and explained 14.1% of the variance in their BMI levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Mindfulness, emotional eating, and weight control self-efficacy in adolescents have a facilitating effect on the management of obesity.

IMPLICATIONS TO PRACTICE

Multidimensional programs should be developed that take into account the interaction of parents, children, and the environment, which will pave the way for the development of healthy nutrition behaviors and contribute to the prevention of obesity.

A predictor of emotional eating in adolescents: Social anxiety

This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the effect of social anxiety on emotional eating in adolescents. The sample consisted of 1027 adolescents between aged 14-18 studying in the 9-12th grades of the high schools in the Central Anatolia Region in the 2018-2019 academic year. Ethics Committee and institutional permission was obtained in this study, data were collected by a questionnaire, the Social Anxiety Scale for Children-Revised (SASC-R), and The Emotional Eating Scale Adapted for Use in Children and Adolescents (EES-C). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test and simple linear regression analysis. Adolescents had a mean SASC-R and EES-C score of 43.49 ± 16.56 and 61.93 ± 18.68, respectively. It was found that there was a relationship between EES-C mean scores and SASC-R mean scores, and they explained 35.0 % of the scores they got from the EES-C scale (p < 0.05). In conclusion, adolescents had moderate emotional eating and social anxiety. The higher the social anxiety, the higher the emotional eating. School personnel, parents and healthcare professionals need education about social anxiety and eating disorders in adolescents in order to detect symptoms early and intervene to better support adolescents struggling with social anxiety.

Emotional eating and disordered eating behaviors in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes

Disordered eating behaviors (DEB) are more common in adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) than in peers without diabetes. Emotional eating is a risk factor for binge eating in children and adolescents in the general population and is associated with increased intake of high energy-dense foods rich in sugars and fats. The primary objective is to evaluate whether emotional eating is associated with the metabolic control (glycated hemoglobin, plasma lipids and uric acid) in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes and whether subjects with DEB (DEPS-R ≥ 20) have higher emotional eating than those without DEB. The secondary objective is to evaluate whether emotional eating is associated with the different symptoms of DEB. Emotional eating is positively correlated with HbA1c, total and LDL cholesterol values in children and adolescents with T1D. Subjects with DEB have a higher emotional eating score than subjects without DEB. Disinhibition is the most common disordered eating behavior in children and adolescents with T1D and is associated with a higher emotional eating score. Early identification and treatment of emotional eating could be tools for preventing DEB in people with type 1 diabetes. A total of 212 adolescents with T1D completed two self-administered questionnaires: the Diabetes Eating Problem Survey-Revised (DEPS-R) and the Emotional Eating Scale for Children and Adolescents (EES-C). Demographic (age, sex, duration of the disease), anthropometric (weight, height, BMI, BMI-SDS), therapeutic (type of insulin therapy, daily insulin dose) and metabolic (HbA1c, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, triglycerides, uric acid) data were taken from the patients' medical records. The presence of other autoimmune diseases was also recorded.

The contribution of social media addiction to adolescent LIFE: Social appearance anxiety

The use of social media by adolescents, who spend about 3 hours a day on social media, is dominated by visual communication. Nowadays, appearance ideals are presented through social media platforms. Exposure to these popular ideals of appearance could cause appearance-based anxiety and adolescents to develop binge-eating behavior. This cross-sectional study was conducted to determine social appearance anxiety, social media addictions, and emotional eating behaviors of adolescents. 1363 adolescents, living in the Central Anatolian Region of Turkey, were included in the study. Data were collected with a Questionnaire form, the Social Appearance Anxiety Scale (SAAS), Social Media Addiction Scale (SMAS), and Emotional Eating Scale (EES-C). 24.4% of adolescents are social media addicts. No relationship was found between adolescents' social appearance anxiety, social media addictions, and emotional eating behaviors. However, social appearance anxiety and social media addictions of girls, those who perceive their family income as low and who think that they are influenced by social media influencers have higher anxiety. The value of this study is that it shows that gender, low income perception, time spent on social media, being influenced by influencers, following influencers who share diet and nutrition content, and social media addiction are associated with social appearance anxiety. As a result, it is thought that social media addiction and being affected by social media influencers increase social appearance anxiety in adolescents and pose a risk in terms of adolescents' mental health.

Examining the relationship between subjective wellbeing and emotional eating in adolescents in Turkey

PURPOSE

The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between subjective wellbeing and emotional eating in adolescents.

METHODS

A total of 231 high school students completed a demographic questionnaire and two scales; the emotional eating scale adapted for use in children and adolescents and the adolescent subjective wellbeing scale.

RESULTS

The data showed negative and very weak relationships between the unsettled emotional state subscale of the emotional eating scale and the positive emotional state subscale (-0.146), the satisfaction with life subscale (-0.143), and the adolescent subjective wellbeing total score (-0.146). Adolescents' body perceptions, their family types, family income levels, and other variables had an impact on their state of subjective wellbeing, and variables such as gender and their father's level of education had an effect on their emotional eating.

CONCLUSIONS

Emotional eating in adolescence can become a barrier to an individual's assuming future roles and responsibilities. Due to these risks, it is important to identify and reinforce the factors that help adolescents adapt and improve their subjective wellbeing.

Digital risks and adolescents: The relationships between digital game addiction, emotional eating, and aggression

Nowadays, weight gain and obesity are major health-threatening issues for children. Emotional eating, a negative health condition that can lead to obesity in children, is a defence mechanism for coping with negative emotions. This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the relationships between emotional eating behaviour and digital game addiction, which can cause stress and aggression in adolescents. This study was conducted with 856 adolescents from the Mediterranean region of Turkey. The data were collected using a personal information form, the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ), the Digital Game Addiction Scale (DGAS-7), and the Emotional Eating Scale (EES). In this study, 32.4% of the adolescents were addicted to digital games. The male adolescents had higher BPAQ, DGAS, and EES mean scores. There was also a relationship between digital game addiction, aggressive behaviour, and emotional eating. This is a significant study because it shows that digital game addiction and aggressive behaviour are important determinants of emotional eating. The results of this study indicate that emotional eating is a component of digital game addiction that increases the risk of adolescent obesity.

Emotional eating: Really hungry or just angry?

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of parenting styles and academic self-efficacy on emotional eating behaviours within a sample of adolescents. The sample of this cross-sectionally designed study consisted of 584 adolescents between the ages of 12-17 years. In order to collect necessary data, the Emotional Eating Scale for Child and Adolescent, the Parenting Style Scale and Academic Self-efficacy Scale were utilized. In this sample, Emotional Eating Scale's total score of girls was higher than boys, and emotional eating was not related to body mass index. Parenting styles and academic self-efficacy predicted 34% of the variants seen in emotional eating behaviours of adolescents. While a positive relation existed between emotional eating and negligent parenting style, a negative significant relation occurred between permissive and democratic type of parenting styles and emotional eating. In addition, emotional eating behaviours decreased, whereas academic self-efficacy perception increased accordingly. The results showed that emotional eating behaviours of adolescents were in relation with parenting styles and academic self-efficacy. A good understanding of the multifactorial structure of emotional eating in adolescents will help to develop essential programmes in order to design effective coping mechanisms.

Emotional eating among Lebanese adults: scale validation, prevalence and correlates

OBJECTIVES

The present study aimed at developing an Arabic version of the Emotional Eating Scale (EES) and examining its reliability and validity among a sample of the Lebanese population. The secondary objective was to evaluate the correlation between emotional eating and body dissatisfaction along with depression and/or self-esteem among a representative sample of the Lebanese population.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted between January and May 2018. The sample was drawn proportionately from all Lebanese Mohafazat.

RESULTS

All items could be extracted from the list, except items 17 and 19. The EES items converged over a solution of four factors that had an Eigenvalue over 1, explaining a total of 67.06% of the variance (KMO = 0.939; Bartlett's test of sphericity p < 0.001; α_Cronbach = 0.952). A higher body dissatisfaction was significantly associated with higher emotional eating (β = 0.31) and lower self-esteem (β =  - 0.054); however, no significant association was found with depression. Self-esteem and depression were not found to be significantly associated with emotional eating. When introducing depression and self-esteem as mediator factors for body dissatisfaction and emotional eating, body dissatisfaction did not remain significantly associated with emotional eating.

CONCLUSION

In this study, the Emotional Eating Scale was validated in Arabic among the Lebanese adult population, making this scale usable in further Lebanese research. Moreover, our results showed that body dissatisfaction was positively correlated with emotional eating and self-esteem, but not with depression. A positive association between body dissatisfaction and emotional eating was also demonstrated. This research offers new perspectives for the evaluation of emotional eating among the Lebanese adult population.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level V Cross-sectional descriptive study.

A comparison of emotional eating, social anxiety and parental attitude among adolescents with obesity and healthy: A case-control study

This case-controlled study was conducted to determine and compare the emotional eating, social anxiety and parental attitude in those adolescents with obesity and healthy counterparts. The sample of the study consist of obese adolescents in 14-18 aged (n = 150) followed up in the pediatric endocrinology outpatient clinic of a tertiary hospital and healthy adolescents in 14-18 aged (n = 150) who were studying in high schools. The data were collected using a questionnaire form, Emotional Eating Scale Adapted to Use in Children and Adolescents (EES-C), Social Anxiety Scale for Children-Revised (SASC-R) and Parenting Style Scale (PSS). The SASC-R and EES-C mean scores of obese adolescents were 39.03 ± 13.09 (p ≤ 0.001) and 76.66 ± 16.30 (p ≤ 0.001), respectively. The mean scores of PSS-AI, PSS-SS and PSS-PA subscales in obese adolescents were 26.80 ± 4.42 (p ≤ 0.001), 28.14 ± 4.06 (p ≤ 0.001) and 22.32 ± 4.63 (p = 0.037), respectively. There was a low-level correlation between the EES-C and SASC-R mean scores of obese adolescents (p < 0.05). The mean scores of PSS-AI, PSS-SS and PSS-PA subscales of PSS with EES-C and SASC-R of obese adolescents were no correlated (p > 0.05). In this study, the mean scores of the emotional eating and social anxiety of obese adolescents were higher than healthy ones. There was a low level of positive correlation between emotional eating and social anxiety mean scores of obese adolescents.

Factors affecting emotional eating and eating palatable food in adults

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

The aim of this study was to determine the relationship among emotional eating behavior, tendency to eat palatable foods, and several risk factors.

SUBJECTS/METHODS

This study was carried out on 2,434 persons (1,736 women and 698 men) aged between 19 and 64 years. A questionnaire form was used as a data collection tool, which consisted of items for the socio-demographic characteristics, anthropometric measurements, Emotional Appetite Questionnaire (EMAQ), and the Palatable Eating Motives Scale (PEMS).

RESULTS

A positive significant correlation was observed between the BMI groups and the negative emotions, negative situations, and negative total scores of EMAQ (P < 0.01). The regression results on negative subscales showed that a one unit increase in BMI resulted in a 0.293 unit increase in negative situations scores, a 0.626 unit increase in negative emotions scores, and a 0.919 unit increase in negative total EMAQ scores. When the BMI groups and PEMS subscale scores were examined, a significant relationship was found in the social motives, rewarding, and conformity subscales (P < 0.01). A one unit increase in BMI increased the coping motives scores by 0.077 units.

CONCLUSIONS

The emotional states have a significant effect on the eating behavior. On the other hand, an increase in eating attacks was observed, particularly in people who were under the effect of a negative emotion or situation. Nevertheless, there were some limitations of the study in terms of quantitative determination of the effects of this eating behavior depending on the BMI.

Evaluating psychometric properties of the Emotional Eating Scale Adapted for Children and Adolescents (EES-C) in a clinical sample of children seeking treatment for obesity: a case for the unidimensional model

BACKGROUND

The Emotional Eating Scale - Adapted for Children and Adolescents (EES-C) assesses children's urge to eat in response to experiences of negative affect. Prior psychometric studies have demonstrated the high reliability, concurrent validity, and test-retest reliability of theoretically defined subconstructs among non-clinical samples of children and adolescents who were primarily healthy weight; however, no psychometric studies exist investigating the EES-C among clinical samples of children with overweight/obesity (OW/OB). Furthermore, studies conducted in different contexts have suggested a discordant number of subconstructs of emotions related to eating. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity of the EES-C in a clinical sample of children seeking weight-loss treatment.

METHOD

Using a hierarchical bi-factor approach, we evaluated the validity of the EES-C to measure a single general construct, a set of two separate correlated subconstructs, or a hierarchical arrangement of two constructs, and determined reliability in a clinical sample of treatment-seeking children with OW/OB aged 8-12 years (N = 147, mean age = 10.4 years.; mean BMI z = 2.0; female = 66%; Hispanic = 32%, White and other = 68%).

RESULTS

Comparison of factor-extraction methods suggested a single primary construct underlying EES-C in this clinical sample. The bi-factor indices provided clear evidence that most of the reliable variance in the total score (90.8 for bi-factor model with three grouping factors and 95.2 for bi-factor model with five grouping factors) was attributed to the general construct. After adjusting for relationships with the primary construct, remaining correlations among sets of items did not suggest additional reliable constructs.

CONCLUSION

Results suggest that the primary interpretive emphasis of the EES-C among treatment-seeking children with overweight or obesity should be placed on a single general construct, not on the 3- or 5- subconstructs as was previously suggested.

The effects of parental feeding styles, children’s self-efficacy and social anxiety on adolescent obesity

ABSTRACT Objective To examine the effect of parental feeding styles and children’s self-efficacy and social anxiety on adolescent obesity. Methods The samples of this descriptive and cross-sectional study were collected by using a simple sampling method. The study group was composed of 649 Turkish secondary schools students and their parents. Three secondary schools were selected from both rural and urban areas of the province. Data of the study were collected with the child-parent socio-demographic data collection form, the parenting feeding style questionnaire, the middle school self-efficacy scale and the social anxiety scale for the adolescent. To analyze the data of the study, we used percentages, mean, correlation, and regression analysis. Results The average age of the students was 11.58+1.21 years and percentages of female students 55.0%. The factors that significantly affect male adolescent obesity were fear of social situations in general, interpersonal relations, preventive healthcare self-efficacy, and strict dietary control, respectively. The factors affect male adolescent obesity at the rate of 35.0%. The factors that significantly affect female adolescent obesity were fear of social situations in general, preventive healthcare self-efficacy, emotional feeding, social evasion and distress in new situations, and tolerant dietary control, respectively. These factors affect female adolescent obesity at the rate of 32.8%. Conclusion It is indicated that the obesity of children is affected by self-efficacy levels, social anxiety, and the parental feeding style.