VALIDATION OF THE MOTIVATION FOR EATING SCALE

Abstract

For items used in the Likert-type Motivation for Eating Scale (MFES), content domain was clearly specified and a panel of experts assessed the relevance of each item. Based on responses from 298 participants in the western United States, the MFES was evaluated for internal consistency and reliability using factor analysis and correlation techniques. The factor solution isolated four factors that replicated scale construction, including: environmental eating, emotional eating, physical eating, and social eating with alpha coefficients ranging from .75 to .95. Retesting after two weeks (N=88) yielded correlation coefficients that ranged between .55 and .77. Theorized relationships between subscale scores and certain demographic variables add support for concurrent validity. MFES subscales also correlated predictably with select subscales from the Emotional Eating Scale and the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire suggesting convergent validity (N=103). Findings provide tentative support for use of the MFES in community and college settings.