Development and Evaluation of Eating Traits Scale for Adult in Republic of Korea

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop eating traits scale for Korean adults and verify its validity and reliability. Methods: The initial items were developed based on the literature reviews. The first preliminary scale has consisted of 78 items and the second preliminary scale consisted of 50 items selected by 13 experts who were formed to evaluate the content validity. To review whether they could understand the questionnaires at their reading level, 27 sixth-grade elementary school students were asked to be involved in this study. The questionnaire was revised through the consultation of Korean language teachers, and the final preliminary scale was composed of 50 items. Data were collected from 329 adults aged 19 to 65 years to test validity and reliability of the scale The item analysis and exploratory factor analysis were applied. Results: Exploratory factor analysis showed 5 factors of 35 items. The factors (No. of items) were ‘Mood states (6)’, ‘Pursuit of health (6)’, ‘Stimulation of food (9)’, ‘Social situations (5)’, ‘Desire satisfaction (9)’. These 5 factors explained 55.04% of the total variance. Eating traits scale developed in this study was established construct validity. The reliability of the scale, Cronbach's alpha coefficient was .92 and the factor’s ranged from .77 to .87. Conclusions: Eating traits scale developed in this study was verified by content validity, construct validity and reliability. It is expected to be useful measuring eating traits of Korean adults in clinical practice and research.