Compensatory Health Motivations and Behaviors Scale

Abstract

The Compensatory Health Motivations and Behaviors (CHMB) Scale, developed by Sedemedes et al. (2023), is designed to quantify general weight-related compensatory health motivations and behaviors. The development process initiated with an open-ended questionnaire to identify potential items, leading to an initial pool of 34 items adapted from the drunkorexia motivations and behaviors scale (Ward & Galante, 2015). These items aimed to capture various aspects of compensatory health behaviors, including their occasions, motivations, and associated feelings. The scale’s validation was conducted using a representative Canadian adult sample, employing both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, which ultimately revealed a four-factor structure. Comprehensive reports on the scale’s reliability and validity have been provided.

Keywords

Compensatory Behaviors, Compensatory Use for Special Occasions, Divergent Validity, Food-Related CHBs, General Compensatory Use, Motivations for Using Compensation, Body Weight, Eating Behavior, Food, Health Behavior, Motivation, Reinforcement, Health Behavior Measures.

Authors

Sedemedes, Kalista; Knäuper, Bärbel; Sadikaj, Gentiana; Yuan, Trista Yue; Wrosch, Carsten; Santosa, Sylvia; Alberga, Angela S.; Kakinami, Lisa

Purpose

The primary purpose of the CHMB Scale is to measure general weight-related compensatory health motivations and behaviors.

Validity

Convergent/Divergent Validity: The factors identified within the CHMB Scale demonstrated an association with increased cognitive restraint in eating, as evidenced by multiple linear regressions that controlled for age and sex. Cognitive restraint is a well-established construct linked to higher BMI, reduced cravings for and consumption of specific foods (e.g., sweet, salty, fatty), and improved health perceptions (Abdella et al., 2019; Keskitalo et al., 2008; Masterson et al., 2019). Notably, unadjusted correlations between the CHMB factors and cognitive restraint were moderately positive. This finding suggests that the CHMB scale is consistent with existing validated measures of eating behavior while maintaining its distinctiveness.

Reliability

Internal Consistency: The internal consistency of the CHMB Scale was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, which ranged from 0.776 to 0.882, indicating good reliability.

Factor Analysis

Exploratory Factor Analysis: An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) utilizing an oblique promax rotation identified a four-factor structure for the CHMB Scale.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed to validate the proposed factor structure. The fit indices for GFI, CFI, SRMR, RMSEA, and Bentler-Bonett NFI across all four models tested were in line with recommended thresholds in the literature (Hu & Bentler, 1999; Philpot et al., 2015), indicating a good model fit. During the scale’s development, four different CFA models were evaluated, including two with higher-order structures. All four models exhibited comparable fit statistics. The final model chosen (Model 2) had a single-order structure. The decision for selecting this model, despite not having the absolute best fit, is thoroughly explained in the source material.

Instrument: CHMB Scale

• Test Type: Original

• Format: All 17 items of the CHMB Scale are rated on a 5-point Likert scale.

• Language Available: English

• Population Group: Human (Male and Female)

• Age Group: Adulthood (18 years and older)

• Population Details: The validation was conducted on a representative Canadian adult sample.

• Test Methodology: The methodology included evaluations of Test Validity, Convergent Validity, Discriminant Validity, Test Reliability, Internal Consistency, Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis, and Exploratory Factor Analysis.

• Alternate Test Names: CHMB Scale

• Instrument Type: Inventory/Questionnaire

• Construct: Compensatory Health Motivations and Behaviors

• Administration Method: Electronic

• Test Items Available: No data is Available

• Number of Items: This is a 17-item measure.

• Factors and Subscales: The identified factors are: Motivations for using compensation; Compensatory use for special occasions; General compensatory use; Food-related CHBs.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: No data is Available

Affiliation Email Addresses:

• Kalista Sedemedes: Department of Psychology, Concordia University

• Bärbel Knäuper: Department of Psychology, McGill University

• Gentiana Sadikaj: Department of Psychology, McGill University

• Trista Yue Yuan: Faculty of Land and Food Systems, Food, Nutrition and Health, University of British Columbia

• Carsten Wrosch: Department of Psychology, Concordia University

• Sylvia Santosa: Department of Health, Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, Concordia University

• Angela S. Alberga: Department of Health, Kinesiology and Applied Physiology, Concordia University

• Lisa Kakinami: School of Health, Concordia University, [email protected]

Correspondence Address:
Lisa Kakinami: Concordia University, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, 1455 de Maisonneuve West, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3G 1M8, [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

• Permissions: Contact Corresponding Author

• Commercial: No

• Fee: No

• Test Year: 2023

References

Sedemedes, K., Knäuper, B., Sadikaj, G., Yuan, T. Y., Wrosch, C., Santosa, S., Alberga, A. S., & Kakinami, L. (2023). Compensatory health motivations and behaviors scale: Development, evaluation, psychometric properties and a preliminary validation. Appetite, 191, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2023.107075

Items of the CHMB Scale

No data is Available