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Psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale

Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity volume 22, pages 259–267 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose

Rising rates of obesity have been recently associated to the novel concept of food addiction (FA). The Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) is the most widely used measure for examining FA (1) and analysis of its reliability and validity is expected to facilitate empirical research on the construct. Here, we tested the psychometric properties of a Portuguese version of the YFAS (P-YFAS), establishing its factor structure, reliability and construct validity.

Methods

Data were obtained from 468 Portuguese individuals, 278 sampled from non-clinical populations, and 190 among obese candidates for weight-loss surgery. A battery of self-report measures of eating behavior was applied.

Results

Confirmatory factor analysis verified a one-factor structure with acceptable fit, with item analysis suggesting the need to eliminate item 24 from the P-YFAS. Internal consistency (KR-20 = .82) and test–retest stability were adequate. Correlation analyses supported convergent and divergent validity of the P-YFAS, particularly in the clinical sample. Both FA symptom count and diagnosis, according to the P-YFAS, adequately discriminated between samples, with classification of FA met by 2.5 and 25.8% of the participants in the non-clinical and clinical samples, respectively.

Conclusions

These findings reinforce the use of P-YFAS in non-clinical and clinical populations. Future directions for extending YFAS validation are discussed.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Ashley Gearhardt (Department of Psychology, University of Michigan) for providing access to the Yale Food Addiction Scale and contributing to the adaptation process. We would also like to thank Centro Hospitalar de S. João, Hospital São Bernardo, Faculdade de Ciências da Nutrição e Alimentação da Universidade do Porto, Hospital Espírito Santo de Évora, Instituto do Emprego e Formação Profissional, Universidade Atlântica and Universidade de Évora, in particular Ana André, André Ferreira, Andreia Santos, António-Roma-Torres, Armando Raimundo, Carlos Trindade, Cecília Silva, Cristina Pontes, Manuel Carvalho, Margarida Pegacho, Mónica Silva, Rita Fernandes and Sara Pacheco, for assistance with recruitment of participants.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculdade de Psicologia e de Ciências da Educação, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal

    Sandra Torres, Patrício Costa & Filipa Mucha Vieira

  2. Center for Psychology, Universidade do Porto, Rua Alfredo Allen, 4200-135, Porto, Portugal

    Sandra Torres

  3. Champalimaud Clinical Centre, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Avenida de Brasília, Doca de Pedrouços, 1400-038, Lisbon, Portugal

    Marta Camacho, Gabriela Ribeiro & Albino J. Oliveira-Maia

  4. Life and Health Sciences Research Institute (ICVS), Escola de Ciências da Saúde, Universidade do Minho, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal

    Patrício Costa

  5. ICVS/3B’s, PT Government Associate Laboratory, Campus de Gualtar, 4710-057, Braga, Portugal

    Patrício Costa

  6. Lisbon Academic Medical Centre, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisbon, Portugal

    Gabriela Ribeiro

  7. Instituto de Medicina Preventiva e Saúde Pública, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisbon, Portugal

    Osvaldo Santos

  8. Instituto de Saúde Ambiental, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisbon, Portugal

    Osvaldo Santos

  9. Department of Psychiatry, Centro Hospitalar de S. João, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal

    Isabel Brandão

  10. Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade do Porto, Alameda Prof. Hernâni Monteiro, 4200-319, Porto, Portugal

    Isabel Brandão

  11. Department of Psychiatry, Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Norte, Avenida Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-035, Lisbon, Portugal

    Daniel Sampaio

  12. Department of Psychiatry, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida Prof. Egas Moniz, 1649-028, Lisbon, Portugal

    Daniel Sampaio

  13. Department of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Centro Hospitalar de Lisboa Ocidental, Rua da Junqueira, 1349-019, Lisbon, Portugal

    Albino J. Oliveira-Maia

  14. NOVA School of Medicine | Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Campo dos Mártires da Pátria, 1169-056, Lisbon, Portugal

    Albino J. Oliveira-Maia

  15. Champalimaud Research, Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown, Avenida de Brasília, Doca de Pedrouços, 1400-038, Lisbon, Portugal

    Albino J. Oliveira-Maia

Authors
  1. Sandra Torres
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  2. Marta Camacho
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  3. Patrício Costa
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  4. Gabriela Ribeiro
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  5. Osvaldo Santos
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  6. Filipa Mucha Vieira
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  7. Isabel Brandão
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  8. Daniel Sampaio
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  9. Albino J. Oliveira-Maia
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Albino J. Oliveira-Maia.

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Funding

This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia through a Junior Research and Career Development Award from the Harvard Medical Portugal Program (HMSP/ICJ/0020/2011) to AJO-M and CPUP (UID/PSI/00050/2013) to ST, and a Grant from the BIAL Foundation (176/10) to AJO-M.

Conflict of interest

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

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in this study 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.

Informed consent

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

Additional information

This article is part of the topical collection on Food addiction.

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Torres, S., Camacho, M., Costa, P. et al. Psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale. Eat Weight Disord 22, 259–267 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-016-0349-6

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Keywords

  • Food addiction
  • Obesity
  • Reward
  • Psychometrics