Development and validation of the Multidimensional Internally Regulated Eating Scale (MIRES)

PLoS One. 2020 Oct 8;15(10):e0239904. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0239904. eCollection 2020.

Abstract

In this paper, we describe the systematic development and validation of the Multidimensional Internally Regulated Eating Scale (MIRES), a new self-report instrument that quantifies the individual-difference characteristics that together shape the inclination towards eating in response to internal bodily sensations of hunger and satiation (i.e., internally regulated eating style). MIRES is a 21-item scale consisting of seven subscales, which have high internal consistency and adequate to high two-week temporal stability. The MIRES model, as tested in community samples from the UK and US, had a very good fit to the data both at the level of individual subscales, but also as a higher-order formative model. High and significant correlations with measures of intuitive eating and eating competence lent support to the convergent validity of MIRES, while its incremental validity in relation to these measures was also upheld. MIRES as a formative construct, as well as all individual subscales, correlated negatively with eating disorder symptomatology and weight-related measures (e.g., BMI, weight cycling) and positively with adaptive behavioral and psychological outcomes (e.g., proactive coping, body appreciation, life satisfaction), supporting the criterion validity of the scale. This endeavor has resulted in a reliable and valid instrument to be used for the thorough assessment of the features that synthesize the profile of those who tend to regulate their eating internally.

Publication types

  • Validation Study

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Appetite Regulation*
  • Feeding Behavior*
  • Feeding and Eating Disorders / psychology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Psychometrics / methods*
  • Satiety Response*
  • Self Report
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

The authors received no specific funding for this work.