Development of the Eating Habits Questionnaire

The purpose of the studies presented was to develop and examine the psychometric properties of the Eating Habits Questionnaire (EHQ). The author designed the 21-item self-report inventory to assess cognitions, behaviors, and feelings related to an extreme focus on healthy eating as a preliminary step in researching an alleged syndrome that has been labeled "orthorexia nervosa", defined as a pathological fixation on healthy eating. Study 1 examined the factor structure of the EHQ and refined the instrument with exploratory factor analysis. A 3-factor solution was preferred, with subscales labeled: knowledge of healthy eating, problems associated with healthy eating, and feeling positively about healthy eating. In the Study 1 sample (n = 174) the subscales displayed good internal consistency (.87 to .91) and test-retest reliability (.74 to .87). Study 2 examined the fit of the 3-factor model in a new sample (n = 213) with confirmatory factor analysis. Poor initial fit became adequate after eliminating poorly fitting items. Internal consistency (.82 to .90) and test-retest reliability (.72 to .81) of the subscales remained good in the Study 2 sample. Examination of correlations between the EHQ subscales and a variety of other measures provided preliminary evidence for both convergent and discriminant validity in the Study 2 sample. As expected, the EHQ subscales correlated more highly with measures of eating related pathology than with measures of general pathology, personality characteristics, or social desirability.