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The Brazilian version of the three-factor eating questionnaire-R21: psychometric evaluation and scoring pattern

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties and scoring pattern of the Brazilian version of the three-factor eating questionnaire-r21 (TFEQ-R21).

Methods

Data were collected from 410 undergraduate students. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine the factor structure of the TFEQ-R21. Convergent and discriminant validity also was assessed. Cluster analysis was performed to investigate scoring patterns.

Results

In assessing the quality setting, the model was considered satisfactory (χ 2/gl = 2.24, CFI = 0.97, TLI = 0.96, RMSEA = 0.05). The instrument was also considered appropriate in relation to the discriminant and convergent validity. There was a positive correlation between body mass index and the dimensions of cognitive restraint (r s  = 0.449, p < 0.001) and emotional eating (r s  = 0.112, p = 0.023). Using cluster analysis three respondent profiles were identified. The profile “A” was associated with appropriate weight, the “B” was characterized by high scores in cognitive restraint dimension, and the cluster “C” focused individuals who had higher scores on the uncontrolled eating and emotional eating dimensions.

Conclusions

The Brazilian version of TFEQ-R21 has adequate psychometric properties, and the identified response profiles offer a promising prospect for its use in clinical practice, in weight loss interventions.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Kirill Orlov, Wallisen Tadashi Hattori and Antonio G. Oliveira, who kindly discussed some issues about statistical analysis.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Evolution of the Human Behavior, Graduate Program in Psychobiology, Department of Physiology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil

    Anna Cecília Queiroz de Medeiros & Maria Emilia Yamamoto

  2. Health Sciences College of Trairi/FACISA, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Rua Vila Trairi, s/n, Centro, Santa Cruz, Rio Grande do Norte, 59200-000, Brazil

    Anna Cecília Queiroz de Medeiros

  3. Department of Nutrition, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil

    Lucia Fatima Campos Pedrosa

  4. Department of Psychology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, Brazil

    Claudio Simon Hutz

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  1. Anna Cecília Queiroz de Medeiros
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  2. Maria Emilia Yamamoto
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  3. Lucia Fatima Campos Pedrosa
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  4. Claudio Simon Hutz
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anna Cecília Queiroz de Medeiros.

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Ethical approval

The research was approved by the Ethic in Research Committee from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte and all procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Informed consent in writing was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.

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On behalf of all authors, the corresponding author states that there is no conflict of interest.

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de Medeiros, A.C.Q., Yamamoto, M.E., Pedrosa, L.F.C. et al. The Brazilian version of the three-factor eating questionnaire-R21: psychometric evaluation and scoring pattern. Eat Weight Disord 22, 169–175 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-016-0256-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-016-0256-x

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