Zakiah Mohamed Halim1, Kacie M Dickinson1, Eva Kemps2, Ivanka Prichard3,4. 1. Nutrition and Dietetics, College of Nursing and Health Science, Flinders University, South Australia, Australia. 2. Psychology, College of Education, Psychology & Social Work, Flinders University, South Australia, Australia. 3. Health and Exercise Sciences, College of Nursing and Health Science, Flinders University, South Australia, Australia. 4. SHAPE Research Centre, Caring Futures Institute, Flinders University, South Australia, Australia.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: There has been increasing interest in identifying individuals with pathological healthy eating behaviours, or orthorexia nervosa (ON). This study aimed to investigate the validity (construct- and criterion-related) and reliability (internal consistency) of the Eating Habits Questionnaire (EHQ) as a measure of ON. A secondary aim was to examine how the EHQ would predict a distinct feature of ON, adequate dietary intake. DESIGN: Cross-sectional online questionnaire incorporating existing measures of ON and dietary intake. SETTING: Participants were recruited online via social media and a university's research webpage. PARTICIPANTS: Women (n 286) ranging in age from 17 to 73 years. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis established that the EHQ represented four ON dimensions (Healthy Eating Cognitions, Dietary Restriction, Diet Superiority and Social Impairment), inconsistent with the scale's original three dimensions (Problems, Knowledge and Feelings). Cronbach's α coefficients ranged from 0·72 to 0·80 for the four subscales and was 0·89 for the total EHQ scale. Criterion-related validity revealed a significant moderate to strong correlation (r = -0·54, P < 0·001) between the EHQ and ORTO-10 (a ten-item version of ORTO-15). The EHQ, particularly the EHQ-Diet superiority subscale, was found to be predictive of better, as opposed to, poorer dietary adequacy. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that improvements still need to be made to the EHQ for it to be a valid and reliable measure of ON. Ideally, new assessment tools based on established diagnostic criteria are needed to advance our understanding of ON.
OBJECTIVE: There has been increasing interest in identifying individuals with pathological healthy eating behaviours, or orthorexia nervosa (ON). This study aimed to investigate the validity (construct- and criterion-related) and reliability (internal consistency) of the Eating Habits Questionnaire (EHQ) as a measure of ON. A secondary aim was to examine how the EHQ would predict a distinct feature of ON, adequate dietary intake. DESIGN: Cross-sectional online questionnaire incorporating existing measures of ON and dietary intake. SETTING:Participants were recruited online via social media and a university's research webpage. PARTICIPANTS: Women (n 286) ranging in age from 17 to 73 years. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis established that the EHQ represented four ON dimensions (Healthy Eating Cognitions, Dietary Restriction, Diet Superiority and Social Impairment), inconsistent with the scale's original three dimensions (Problems, Knowledge and Feelings). Cronbach's α coefficients ranged from 0·72 to 0·80 for the four subscales and was 0·89 for the total EHQ scale. Criterion-related validity revealed a significant moderate to strong correlation (r = -0·54, P < 0·001) between the EHQ and ORTO-10 (a ten-item version of ORTO-15). The EHQ, particularly the EHQ-Diet superiority subscale, was found to be predictive of better, as opposed to, poorer dietary adequacy. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest that improvements still need to be made to the EHQ for it to be a valid and reliable measure of ON. Ideally, new assessment tools based on established diagnostic criteria are needed to advance our understanding of ON.
Authors: María Laura Parra-Fernández; María Dolores Onieva-Zafra; Juan José Fernández-Muñoz; Alicja Głębocka; Elia Fernández-Martínez; Anna Brytek-Matera Journal: Nutrients Date: 2021-06-10 Impact factor: 5.717