Validation of the baby eating behaviour questionnaire in a Chilean population

Eating behaviors traits are present from early infancy and are associated with a greater risk for obesity in childhood. The Baby Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (BEBQ) is a tool developed to measure eating behavior in infants. The aim of this study was to (i) translate, (ii) culturally adapt, and (iii) evaluate the psychometric properties of the BEBQ in a Chilean sample. BEBQ was translated into Chilean-Spanish using a forward and back-translation process. Translations were cross-checked for cultural interpretability with mothers and inconsistencies were resolved with an expert panel. 101 dyads were recruited when infants were aged five months. Mothers completed the BEBQ and Infants were weighed and measured. Subscale scores were calculated for BEBQ subscales. Factor analysis was used to identify the structure of the BEBQ. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha (α). Factor analysis identified a good fit for a 4-factor structure of appetite factors, with moderate to good internal consistency: “food responsiveness” (α = 0.83), “enjoyment of food” (α = 0.77), satiety responsiveness (α = 0.61), except for slowness in eating (α = 0.58). All items loaded onto the original factor structure with exception of items 5 and 6, that load on to slowness in eating (ns). Boys (n = 43;42%) reported higher general appetite scores in relation to girls (p-value = 0.007). Infants with obesity BMI z-scores (n = 17; 19%) had lower satiety responsiveness scores compared to infants in the healthy weight range (p-value = 0.006). This study describes the psychometric properties of the Chilean Spanish BEBQ and supports the validity of the factor structure and internal consistency in a population sample of Chilean infants.