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Validity of the night eating questionnaire in children

Annette R Gallant1, Jennifer Lundgren, Kelly Allison

  • 1Department of Physical Education, Laval University, Québec, Québec, Canada.

The International Journal of Eating Disorders
|April 21, 2012
PubMed

Insights

The Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ) effectively measures night eating syndrome (NES) in children, correlating with dietary patterns and outperforming parent reports when combined with dietary recall.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Eating Behaviors
  • Psychometrics

Background:

  • Night Eating Syndrome (NES) is a condition characterized by disrupted eating patterns and sleep disturbances.
  • Accurate assessment tools are crucial for understanding and managing NES in pediatric populations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the construct validity of the Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ) in children.
  • To compare child self-report NEQ scores with parent reports and 3-day dietary recalls.

Main Methods:

  • The study involved 304 children from the QUALITY cohort.
  • Child NEQ responses were compared against parent-reported NEQ symptoms and 3-day dietary recalls.

Main Results:

  • Child NEQ scores showed moderate correlation with parent NEQ reports but noted discrepancies in sleep issue reporting.
  • Child NEQ scores, unlike parent reports, were significantly associated with increased evening and decreased morning food intake, indicative of NES dietary patterns.

Conclusions:

  • The NEQ demonstrates construct validity for assessing night eating patterns in children.
  • The NEQ, particularly when supplemented with dietary recall data, offers valuable insights into pediatric NES, surpassing parent-only reports.
Abstract

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