Abstract
Objective
Questionnaires that assess dietary habits, eating behaviors, and relevant psychosocial constructs are routinely used in obesity research and clinical practice. The 6 Factor Questionnaire (6FQ) was previously developed as an assessment tool for psycho-behavioral phenotyping. The primary purpose of this study was to confirm and validate the original findings in a large diverse adult population.
Methods
A total of 5399 self-selected participants (mean age of 48 ± 13 years and BMI 32 ± 8 kg/m2) completed the 6FQ online. The association between self-reported demographic data and 6FQ responses was assessed using linear regression models.
Results
Mean factor score and odds ratio analyses consistently demonstrated a statistically significant relationship between factors and body weight even after adjusting for age, sex, and race/ethnicity.
Conclusions
Although the study was correlational in design, the results demonstrate that the 6FQ, an instrument that represents multi-dimensional unhealthful lifestyle patterns associated with diet, physical activity, cognition and self-perception worsen with increasing body weight. Psycho-behavioral phenotyping may be a useful approach when assessing and treating patients with obesity.
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