Validity and Reliability of the Arabic Version of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-R18

The present study translated and validated an Arabic version of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-R18 (TFEQ-R18), which assesses eating behaviour traits among Arabic speakers in the three domains: cognitive restraint (CR), uncontrolled eating (UE), and emotional eating (EE). Three bilingual experts first translated the English questionnaire into Arabic, and the questionnaire's comprehension was tested among 298 Arabic speakers. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) tested the model fit and flagged four items in the questionnaire with low consistency. These items were modified, and the revised Arabic version of TFEQ-R18 was validated in a population of 513 individuals. Validity was evaluated using CFA and Pearson's correlation coefficients, internal consistency using Cronbach's α, and the reproducibility of the questionnaire was confirmed with Bland-Altman analysis and T-test. The construct validity of the Arabic TFEQ-R18 was evaluated by comparing the response score in the population based on gender, BMI and age group. CFA confirmed that the model fit is good and strongly agrees with the collected data. Except for item 15 in the CR domain, all questions showed moderate to high correlation within their respective domains. The Cronbach's α for UE, EE, and CR domains recorded was 0.778, 0.784 and 0.588, respectively. Item 15 had the lowest consistency in the Arabic-TFEQ-R18, and Cronbach's α increased to 0.608 with its removal. There was no significant difference between the first and second attempts of the Arabic TFEQ-R18, indicating good test-retest reliability. Moreover, UE and EE were positively correlated to the BMI of the participants (r = 0.159, p = 0·000; r = 0.158, p = 0·000, respectively). The study concludes that the Arabic TFEQ is a valid and reliable tool for studying the three psychometric domains of UE, EE and CR among Arabic speakers.

Psychometric evaluation of three-factor eating questionnaire -R18 in aging Finnish men with increased risk for type 2 diabetes

BACKGROUND

Deeper comprehension of eating-related behaviour (how and why people eat) can reveal new aspects to support health and prevent type 2 diabetes (T2D). However, such research is largely missing in aging men.

AIM

The aim was to investigate suitability of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire-R18 (TFEQ-R18) in Finnish aging men which is widely used to examine factors: cognitive restraint (CR), uncontrolled eating (UE), and emotional eating (EE).

METHODS

Study population consisted of 420 men aged 50-75, who completed the TFEQ-R18 at the baseline of the T2D-GENE lifestyle intervention study. Inclusion criteria were impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and body mass index ≥25 kg/m2. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to study psychometrics (reliability, validity, and model fit) and factor structure of TFEQ-R18.

RESULTS

The items loaded to the three factors (CR, UE, EE) as in previous studies, except two items at CR factor and one at UE factor, which were therefore omitted. UE was also discovered split into two sub factors (named as 'craving' and 'loss-of-control'), UE being a higher-order (h) factor. The resultant revised version was named as Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire Revised to 15-items with higher-order factor (TFEQ-R15h).

CONCLUSION

The original 18-item version of the TFEQ was not optimal in the population consisting of Finnish aging men with elevated T2D risk. A modified 15-item version of the TFEQ could be used to describe EB in this population instead.

Short-term intervention with liraglutide improved eating behavior in obese women with polycystic ovary syndrome

AIM

Glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RA) stimulate satiety leading to reductions in food intake and body weight. The effects of long- acting GLP-1 RA liraglutide on eating behavior of women with PCOS have not been investigated yet.

METHODS

Thirty-six obese women with PCOS (mean ± SD, aged 31.2 ± 7.8 years, with BMI 38.7 ± 0.1 kg/m(2)), pretreated with metformin (1000 mg BID) were switched to liraglutide 1.2 mg QD sc for 12 weeks. Adiposity parameters and eating behavior as assessed by Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R18) were examined at baseline and after 12 weeks.

RESULTS

Subjects treated with liraglutide lost on average 3.8 ± 0.1 kg (p < 0.001). Significant reductions of waist circumference and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) mass, volume and area were demonstrated from liraglutide induction to the end of the study. TFEQ-R18 scores were significantly different pre- and post-liraglutide intervention. After treatment with liraglutide the uncontrolled eating (UE) score decreased from 36.8 ± 24.5 to 19.6 ± 18.4 (p < 0.001) and emotional eating (EE) score decreased from 49.9 ± 33.3 to 28.5 ± 26.9 (p < 0.001). Scores for cognitive restraint (CR) were not changed.

CONCLUSIONS

Short-term liraglutide treatment was associated with weight loss and significantly improved eating behavior in obese women with PCOS.