Psychometric properties and measurement invariance across gender of the Italian version of the tempest self-regulation questionnaire for eating adapted for young adults

Abstract

The prevalence of overweight and obesity in young adults has increased dramatically in recent decades. The unhealthy eating habits that develop at this time can often lead to negative health consequences in the future. It is therefore important to learn about self-regulation and self-control strategies and help young adults to have healthy eating behaviours. This study aims to present an Italian version of the Tempest Self-Regulation Questionnaire for Eating (TESQ-E) adapted for young adults. The instrument assesses self-regulation and self-control strategies to counteract the desire and temptation to eat unhealthy food and to choose healthy foods. A total of 645 students (271 males and 374 females with an average age of 24.82 and SD = 4.34) took part in the study. The results of the confirmatory factor analysis supported the six first-order factors model concerning specific self-regulation strategies and a higher-order structure of the TESQ-E [χ2 (152) = 336.480, p < 0.001; CFI = 0.95; RMSEA = 0.04; SRMR = 0.04]: three correlated second-order factors (addressing the temptation directly, addressing the psychological meaning of temptation, and addressing the goal directly) and one-third-order factor (self-regulatory competence). The results also confirmed the strong measurement invariance of the TESQ-E across gender. To have reliable comparisons across males and females, the latent mean differences tests were performed on the six specific self-regulation strategies. The analysis showed that females appear to prefer strategies that directly address the goal by expressing explicit intentions or plans to eat in a healthy way. Convergence validity was tested through correlations with Eating-Self-Efficacy Brief Scale (ESEBS), Emotional Eating Scale (EES), Scale of Attitudes towards Healthy Eating (SAHE), and Body Mass Index (BMI). In conclusion, the TESQ-E appears to be a psychometrically sound questionnaire that can be effectively used with young adults to measure self-regulation strategies in eating in order to plan personalised interventions for the prevention and control of the metabolic syndrome, and to reduce a wide range of diet-related diseases.

Psychometric Properties of the Dutch Version of the Eating Competence Satter Inventory (ecSI 2.0TM) in Community Adolescents

“…Additionally, the instrument can be used by medical doctors, dietitians, and mental health professionals to help adolescents struggling with weight issues reflect on their past and present weight, activity, food intake patterns, and eating competence [31]. Such reflection could help adolescents take a step toward improving their eating competence and potentially support their identity synthesis [31,32].…”

Interpersonal Behavior, Basic Psychological Needs, Motivation, Eating Behavior, and Body Image in Gym/Fitness Exercisers: A Systematic Review

“…Social networks and the media influence the creation of stereotypes of ideal bodies, often giving rise to a distorted view of BI that translates into the perception that subjects have of their own body and that can generate feelings of satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Nowadays, resulting from the social stereotypes of body ideals, which are very difficult to achieve without embracing extreme behaviors [21,22], unhealthy eating behaviors (EBs) and poor body image satisfaction are highly prevalent, especially in the younger population, where less healthy eating behaviors could represent health problems in the medium and long term [23].…”

“…Research supports the hypothesis of motivational transfer between self-determined motivations for exercise and dietary regulation in adults with a normal weight. This indicates that individuals who are more physically active tend to possess stronger self-determined motivations for exercise and dietary control, leading to increased mindfulness of their body's cues and nutritional requirements [22]. Thus, it is important to investigate exercise as a potential protective factor, considering that exercise can help to enhance BI [24][25][26] and contribute to healthier EBs [27][28][29].…”

“…Previous systematic reviews have explored this issue [22] but have not considered if body image perception has a determinant factor. In fact, one's body perception can influence physical activity practices and eating behaviors [32].…”

Revisión psicométrica de la Escala de autorregulación de hábitos alimentarios en adultos mexicanos: ¿Es factible una versión breve?

“…Por ejemplo, en adolescentes polacos se observó que los hombres presentan con mayor frecuencia elevada autorregulación de las conductas alimentarias (27.4%) en comparación con las mujeres (18.8%) (7) . Por otra parte, en estudiantes universitarios italianos se encontró que las mujeres muestran mayores puntajes en establecimiento de objetivos y reglas en comparación con los hombres, y prefieren una estrategia que aborde directamente el objetivo expresando intenciones o planes explícitos para comer de forma saludable (8) . Finalmente, en adultos saudíes no se encontró relación entre el sexo y la autorregulación de hábitos alimentarios (9) .…”