Children’s Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT)

Abstract

The Children’s Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT) is a 26-item self-report questionnaire designed to screen for and assess disordered eating behaviours and attitudes in children. It serves as a downward adaptation and modification of the widely recognized Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) developed by Garner and Garfinkle (1979). The ChEAT is typically administered to children between the ages of 8 and 15, often by orally reading the items to the respondent to ensure comprehension.

The primary clinical application of the ChEAT is to identify children who may be at risk for developing an Eating Disorder. While it is an effective screening tool, researchers recommend its use as part of a more comprehensive diagnostic assessment rather than as a standalone diagnostic instrument. Scoring involves summing item responses, with a total score of 20 or more suggesting the presence of disturbed eating patterns requiring further clinical evaluation.

Keywords

Children’s Eating Attitudes Test, ChEAT, disordered eating behaviours, eating attitudes, pediatric psychology, screening tool, body image disturbance, dieting.

Authors

Maloney, M. J., McGuire, J. B., Daniels, S. R., Specker, B.

Purpose

The main purpose of the Children’s Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT) is to quantitatively measure the presence and severity of psychological and behavioral characteristics associated with disturbed eating patterns in pre-adolescent and early adolescent populations. By providing a quantifiable score, the scale allows researchers and clinicians to monitor changes in eating attitudes over time.

Specifically, the ChEAT serves as a valuable instrument for large-scale epidemiological studies and clinical screening programs. It helps identify children who exhibit key risk factors such as intense fear of gaining weight, preoccupation with food, restrictive eating, and behaviors related to purging or bingeing, which may necessitate early intervention for potential eating disorder development.

Construct

The psychological construct measured by the ChEAT is the spectrum of disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, similar to its adult counterpart, the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT). This construct encompasses cognitive distortions, emotional distress, and behavioral manifestations related to food, weight, and body shape.

The scale captures several facets of this construct, including drive for thinness, bulimic tendencies (such as purging or bingeing), and excessive preoccupation with food and caloric intake. The subsequent factor analysis confirmed that these underlying components contribute to the overall measure of risk for clinical eating disorders.

Validity

Various studies examining the Children’s Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT) have demonstrated adequate psychometric properties, confirming its validity as a screening instrument. The initial development and validation work by Maloney and colleagues (1988, 1989) utilized a community sample of 318 children to establish the scale’s structural integrity.

Further research, such as that conducted by Smolak and Levine (1994), supported the construct validity of the ChEAT by examining its factor structure in a sample of middle school girls. The scale’s ability to differentiate between children with clinically concerning eating patterns and those in the general population provides strong evidence for its criterion validity in identifying risk.

Reliability

The reliability of the ChEAT has been rigorously tested across multiple studies, demonstrating its internal consistency and stability over time. Maloney and colleagues (1988, 1989) initially documented the scale’s reliability during its development phase.

High internal consistency coefficients derived from studies using community and clinical samples suggest that the 26 items reliably measure the underlying constructs of disordered eating. This robust psychometric property confirms that the items within the scale measure similar domains related to eating attitudes and behaviors.

Factor Analysis

A key factor analysis study conducted by Smolak and Levine (1994) on 308 middle school girls revealed that the Children’s Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT) yielded a four-factor structure. This factor structure provides insight into the specific dimensions of disordered eating behaviours captured by the instrument.

The four derived factors are:

• Dieting: Reflecting restrictive behaviors and weight consciousness.
• Restricting and Purging: Encompassing deliberate food avoidance and compensatory behaviors like vomiting.
• Food Preoccupation: Measuring excessive cognitive focus on food, weight, and calories.
• Oral Control: Relating to perceived control over eating habits and social pressure surrounding food intake.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report questionnaire / Screening tool

Format: 26-item Likert-type scale, typically administered orally to the child.

Language Available: Primarily English, with translations available in various languages (e.g., Spanish, Portuguese, Italian) depending on subsequent research adaptations.

Population Group: Children and early adolescents.

Age Group: 8 to 15 years old.

Population Details: Originally validated on community samples of children and used subsequently with clinical populations requiring assessment for eating disorder risk.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate the frequency of specific attitudes or behaviors using a six-point Likert scale (Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Often, Very Often, Always). Items are scored 0 to 3, with higher scores reflecting greater symptom severity. A total score is calculated by summing all item scores. A clinical cut-off score of 20 or higher is used to flag individuals needing further assessment, based on the original EAT scoring methodology.

Keywords

Psychological assessment, pediatric screening, EAT modification, weight concern, psychometric properties, clinical cut-off, adolescent health.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Children’s Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT) was initially published in 1988 and 1989. As a modification of the original Eating Attitudes Test (EAT), it is generally considered an academic instrument widely used in research. Researchers should consult the original authors or publishing journals regarding specific permissions for commercial use, though its use in non-commercial academic research is often permitted.

Reference’s

• Garner, D., Olmsted, M., Bohr, Y., & Garfinkel, P. (1982). The Eating Attitudes Test: Psychometric features. Psychological medicine, 12, 871-878.
• Maloney, M. J., McGUIRE, J. B., & Daniels, S. R. (1988). Reliability testing of a children’s version of the Eating Attitude Test. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 27(5), 541-543.
• Maloney, M. J., McGuire, M., Daniels, S. R., & Specker, B. (1989). Dieting behavior and eating attitudes in children. Pediatrics, 84(3), 482-9.
• Smolak, L., & Levine, M. P. (1994). Psychometric properties of the children’s eating attitudes test. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 16(3), 275-282.

Items of the Children’s Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

Instructions: Please pick the word that best applies to the statement below