Assessing the factor structure of the Eating Attitude Test-26 among undergraduate students in Malaysia

Walton Wider; Jasmine Adela Mutang; Bee Seok Chua; Jiaming Lin; Assis Kamu; Nicholas Tze Ping Pang

doi:10.3389/fnut.2023.1212919

Assessing the factor structure of the Eating Attitude Test-26 among undergraduate students in Malaysia

Front Nutr. 2023 Nov 16:10:1212919. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2023.1212919. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Walton Wider¹, Jasmine Adela Mutang², Bee Seok Chua², Jiaming Lin¹, Assis Kamu³, Nicholas Tze Ping Pang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Faculty of Business and Communications, INTI International University, Nilai, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia.
² Faculty of Psychology and Education, University Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.
³ Faculty of Science and Natural Resources, University Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.
⁴ Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to assess the factor structure of the 26-item Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26) through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) among 1,084 undergraduate students in Malaysia. The initial findings indicated a lack of support for the proposed three-factor structure. Model modifications were made due to the inadequate initial fit. The fit of the model was significantly improved by excluding items with factor loadings below 0.40 and integrating residual covariances. In conclusion, it is necessary to make contextual modifications to the EAT-26 in order to effectively utilize it among Malaysian undergraduates. This highlights the significance of cultural adaptations in psychological instruments.

Keywords: Eating Attitude Test; confirmatory factor analysis; eating disorder; obesity; undergraduate students.