Validity and Reliability of the Transcultural Arabic Adaptation of the Food-Mood Questionnaire Among College Students

A culturally adapted screening tool for mental health and dietary quality is needed to address the significant challenges in mental health and suboptimal diets among college students. The purpose of this study was to validate the Food-Mood Questionnaire (FMQ), originally developed in English, among Arab college students. Students attending the University of Sharjah were invited to complete the questionnaire (<i>n</i> = 224). Two weeks later, participants completed the same questionnaire again. An exploratory factor analysis revealed three main factors: mental distress, prudent and Western diets. Cronbach's α was 0.86, 0.72, and 0.531 for the three factors, respectively. The Intra-Class-Correlation (ICC) for the test-retest reliability ranged from 0.67 to 0.87 (<i>p</i> < 0.001). The findings of this study showed that the Arabic version of the FMQ is a valid and reliable tool and could be used to screen for the mental distress and dietary intake of college students in the Arab world.