The Eating Behavior Patterns Questionnaire predicts dietary fat intake in African American women.
OBJECTIVE
To develop a behavioral assessment of eating that would be predictive of fat intake in African American women.


METHODS
Questionnaires were developed using a three-stage design, involving item generation, item refinement, and questionnaire validation.


METHODS
Focus groups sessions were conducted with 40 African American women, initial questionnaire development employed 80 African American women, and questionnaire validation involved 310 African American women from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. Statistical analyses Transcripts of focus groups were used to generate 113 behavioral questionnaire items. The initial questionnaire was administered along with a food frequency questionnaire, and the item pool was reduced to 51 items. Factor analysis was used to create subscales. Correlation (r) and multiple regression analysis (R) were used to evaluate construct validity.


RESULTS
Factor analysis revealed six subscales: low-fat eating, emotional eating, snacking on sweets, cultural/ethnic, haphazard planning, and meal skipping. The scales are significant predictors of micronutrient (R values from 0.22 to 0.47) and macronutrient intakes (R values from 0.33 to 0.58) assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and show construct validity in relationship to other measures of eating behavior (r values from 0.22 to 0.65).


CONCLUSIONS
The Eating Behavior Patterns Questionnaire (EBPQ) may be a useful tool for clinical assessment, clinical and community nutrition intervention studies, and epidemiologic research with African American women.
Schlundt
David G
DG
Department of Psychology and Diabetes Research and Training Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203, USA. D.Schlundt@Vanderbilt.Edu
Hargreaves
Margaret K
MK
Buchowski
Maciej S
MS
D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology*; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006801:Humans; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*
D004041:Dietary Fats