title: A German version of the Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ): psychometric properties and correlates in a student sample.
abstract: Night eating syndrome (NES) is marked by substantial evening or nocturnal food intake, insomnia, morning anorexia, and depressed mood. The Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ) is the most frequently used instrument for the assessment of NES and available in several languages. The current study aimed at providing and validating a German version of the NEQ using an online study among students (N=729). The German NEQ had acceptable internal consistency (α=.71) and three-week retest-reliability (r=.77). The four-factor structure of the original version (morning anorexia, evening hyperphagia, mood/sleep, nocturnal ingestions) could be replicated, except for one item. Convergent validity was supported by moderate positive correlations with eating pathology, emotional eating, and habitual food cravings. Discriminant validity was supported by small positive correlations with relevant, but not eating-related constructs (eveningness preference, impulsivity). Scores on the NEQ were also positively, but weakly, correlated with body mass index (r=.18). The German version of the NEQ appears to be a useful tool for future investigations on night eating.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany; Hospital for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, LWL University Hospital of the Ruhr University Bochum, Hamm, Germany. Electronic address: adrian.meule@uni-wuerzburg.de.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meule
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA.
authors.forename: Kelly C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Allison
authors.affiliation: Institute of Psychology, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Petra
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Platte
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D004435:Eating / Q000523:psychology; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D007802:Language; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Chronotype; Eating disorder symptoms; Emotional eating; Food cravings; Impulsivity; Night eating