Validity and reliability of Food-Mood Questionnaire (FMQ)

The need for short and validated questionnaires to evaluate dietary patterns (DPs) and mental distress in clinical and research settings is increasing.

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a Food-Mood Questionnaire (FMQ) to assess DPs in relation to mental distress.

A standard validation protocol that included item development, pilot-testing, test-retesting, and a series of statistical validation analyses was used. Content, face, internal, construct and external validity as well as reliability were confirmed. Content and face validity were evaluated qualitatively.

Principal component analysis (PCA) for construct validity generated five sub-scales which reflected internal consistency (Cronbach's α > 0.70) and internal reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient ranged between 0.619 and 0.884; p < 0.01; confidence interval 95%). External validity was also confirmed. A total of 563 participants from four different continents completed the survey online. PCA generated five different subscales. Mental distress was associated with regular consumption of fast-food, a DP known to induce anxiety and depression.

The FMQ is a validated and a reliable tool with many potential applications that could be used with prophylactic and therapeutic approaches.