Confirmatory factor analysis of the Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire in a Chinese urban preschooler sample

Area of Science:

• Child Psychology
• Nutritional Science
• Public Health

Background:

• Childhood obesity is a growing concern requiring effective prevention strategies.
• Accurate assessment of eating behaviors in young children is crucial for obesity prevention.
• The Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) is widely used but lacks validation in Chinese populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To validate the Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) for use with preschool children in an urban Chinese sample.
• To assess the psychometric properties of the CEBQ in a diverse cultural context.
• To provide a reliable tool for understanding eating behaviors relevant to childhood obesity prevention in China.

Main Methods:

• A sample of 389 mothers and their preschool children from Beijing, China, participated.
• Confirmatory factor analysis was employed to evaluate the CEBQ's structure.
• Measurement invariance across child genders was assessed to ensure fairness.

Main Results:

• The modified 8-factor structure of the CEBQ demonstrated acceptable model fit.
• No significant measurement bias was found concerning child gender.
• CEBQ factors showed age-related trends, with desire to drink, emotional overeating, and undereating decreasing, while food responsiveness increased with age.
• Convergent validity was supported by the association between child BMI and CEBQ factors.

Conclusions:

• The study validates the CEBQ for assessing preschool children's eating behaviors in urban China.
• The findings support the CEBQ's utility in childhood obesity prevention research within this demographic.
• The validated CEBQ can inform culturally specific interventions for healthy eating habits.