Preliminary validation of the Yale Food Addiction Scale for Children 2.0: A dimensional approach to scoring

Abstract

Objective. Assessment approaches for food addiction in younger samples have not been updated to reflect recently revised diagnostic approaches for addictive disorders. The aim of the current study is to develop a new dimensional approach to assess food addiction in adolescents that is psychometrically sound, developmentally appropriate, and reflective of the updated diagnostic criteria. Methods. The dimensional Yale Food Addiction Scale for Children 2.0 (dYFAS-C 2.0) and related-measures were administered to 127 adolescents from the community in the United States. Endorsement rates for each question were reviewed and the psychometric properties were evaluated. Results. Problem-focused symptoms had low endorsement rates and were excluded from the final version of the scale. The dYFAS-C 2.0 demonstrated partial evidence for a one-factor structure, had good internal consistency reliability, and was positively associated with emotional eating, external eating, and body mass index (BMI). The dYFAS-C 2.0 also accounted for unique variance in BMI. Unexpectedly, the dYFAS-C 2.0 was positively associated with restrained eating. Conclusions. The dYFAS-C 2.0 appears to have adequate psychometric properties for assessing food addiction in community samples of adolescents. Future research should evaluate the measure in clinical samples and investigate the association between food addiction and restrained eating over the lifespan.

Children's Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption: Striking Parallels With Substance Use Disorder Symptoms

“…This is not surprising, given that caffeinated SSBs are widely available and have a mild intoxication effect. Limited endorsement of this criterion is also consistent with findings previously reported for food and cigarettes (15). Interestingly, tolerance (#6 in Table 1) was endorsed by parents, but not by children, and may be due to tolerance being a complex concept that may not be recognized by children.…”

“…The current SUD criteria have been criticized for being contextdependent and overemphasizing problems that may arise rather than mechanisms that underpin the behavior (21). Consumption of SSBs to cope with negative emotions may serve as an important potential indicator of problematic substance use and may be particularly relevant for children, who are less likely to endorse problem-focused criteria, relative to adults (15). However, future research is required to determine the utility that adding this as a formal criteria would provide beyond the existing criteria.…”

“…In contrast, symptoms of mechanistic dysfunction (e.g., loss of control, craving, tolerance, withdrawal) were widely endorsed among children and were associated with severe eating pathology and obesity (15). Thus, over-reliance on problem-focused criteria that interfere with day-to-day functioning, which are less relevant for children, may lead to underdiagnosis of SUDs in youth even when key indicators of addictive behavior are present (15). We examined the extent to which responses during in-depth interviews with parents (n = 21) (14) and focus groups with children (n = 37) (16) about SSB consumption (two separate cohorts, not dyads) reflected DSM-5 SUD criteria.…”

“…Thus, these items were removed from the measure. In contrast, symptoms of mechanistic dysfunction (e.g., loss of control, craving, tolerance, withdrawal) were widely endorsed among children and were associated with severe eating pathology and obesity (15). Thus, over-reliance on problem-focused criteria that interfere with day-to-day functioning, which are less relevant for children, may lead to underdiagnosis of SUDs in youth even when key indicators of addictive behavior are present (15).…”

Adolescents’ Addictive Phone Use: Associations with Eating Behaviors and Adiposity

“…The dYFAS-C 2.0 [27] consists of 16 items (α = 0.91), adapted from the adult version of the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 [28]. Items include: "When I started to eat certain foods, I found it hard to stop" and "When I cut down or stopped eating certain foods, I craved them a lot more."…”