Psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the Eating Habits Questionnaire (EHQ-TR) for university students

ABSTRACT Objective It aimed to test the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of Eating Habits Questionnaire (EHQ-TR) which was developed to measure orthorexia nervosa and to examine its psychometric properties in university students. Methods This methodological, descriptive, correlational study was conducted with 210 university students. They filled out demographic information form, EHQ-TR and Turkish version of Eating Attitudes Test-26. Internal consistency coefficient, factor analyses and correlations were examined with statistical analyses. Results Eating Habits Questionnaire consists of 20 items and three sub-dimensions (problems, knowledge, and feelings). In exploratory factor analysis, the Cronbach’s alpha was 0,827 for the total scale which is demonstrated strong internal consistency and 0,742, 0,794, and 0,784 problems, knowledge and feelings subscales, respectively. On the basis of the confirmatory factor analysis results, all of the fit indices were above 0.85, and root mean square error of approximation was 0.060. In addition, the sub-dimensions of EHQ-TR correlated with the Eating Attitudes Test-26 which is associated with disordered eating (p<0.05). Conclusion It was concluded that EHQ-TR is a valid and reliable measurement tool that can be used to measure orthorexia nervosa tendencies among university students.