Anna Vannucci1, Christine McCauley Ohannessian1,2. 1. Center for Behavioral Health, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, Connecticut, 06106. 2. Department of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, Connecticut, 06030.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the brief loss of control over eating scale (LOCES-B) in a community sample of adolescents. METHOD: Participants were 1,116 adolescents (11-15 years; 53% girls; 53% non-Hispanic White) recruited from middle schools in the Northeast United States. Participants were administered self-report surveys during school in the fall of 2016. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the LOCES-B total score was unidimensional, which was invariant across gender and weight status. The LOCES-B had excellent internal consistency (α = .92). The LOCES-B total score had large, positive relationships with the frequency of LOC eating episodes, objective bulimic episodes, and subjective bulimic episodes, and a small, positive relationship with objective overeating episode frequency. After adjusting for demographics, anthropometrics, and LOC eating frequency, adolescents reporting higher scores on the LOCES-B total score had greater body image dissatisfaction, more internalizing symptoms, and lower trait effortful control. DISCUSSION: Findings suggested that the LOCES-B is a reliable and valid measure of LOC eating in early adolescents. The availability of the LOCES-B has the potential to elucidate the developmental trajectories, predictors, and outcomes of LOC eating across the full severity spectrum in large cohort studies of youth.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the brief loss of control over eating scale (LOCES-B) in a community sample of adolescents. METHOD:Participants were 1,116 adolescents (11-15 years; 53% girls; 53% non-Hispanic White) recruited from middle schools in the Northeast United States. Participants were administered self-report surveys during school in the fall of 2016. RESULTS: Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the LOCES-B total score was unidimensional, which was invariant across gender and weight status. The LOCES-B had excellent internal consistency (α = .92). The LOCES-B total score had large, positive relationships with the frequency of LOC eating episodes, objective bulimic episodes, and subjective bulimic episodes, and a small, positive relationship with objective overeating episode frequency. After adjusting for demographics, anthropometrics, and LOC eating frequency, adolescents reporting higher scores on the LOCES-B total score had greater body image dissatisfaction, more internalizing symptoms, and lower trait effortful control. DISCUSSION: Findings suggested that the LOCES-B is a reliable and valid measure of LOC eating in early adolescents. The availability of the LOCES-B has the potential to elucidate the developmental trajectories, predictors, and outcomes of LOC eating across the full severity spectrum in large cohort studies of youth.
Authors: Nina van den Broek; Junilla K Larsen; Maaike Verhagen; William J Burk; Jacqueline M Vink Journal: Nutrients Date: 2020-03-17 Impact factor: 5.717