The development of an Aftermath of Dietary Lapses Coping Questionnaire for weight control

Abstract

Objective:

This study was designed to develop the Aftermath of Dietary Lapses Coping Questionnaire (ADLCQ) for evaluating how people cope with the aftermath of dietary lapses during weight control.

Method:

Between June–July 2012, dieticians working in public health centres and city offices in Sizuoka, Japan, recruited 466 participants. They were asked to complete a 20-item self-report questionnaire pertaining to coping strategies in the aftermath of dietary lapses. The questionnaire included items regarding the stage (readiness) of weight control, the experience of weight loss and demographic characteristics. We examined the questionnaire’s construct validity by conducting confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses and investigated reliability by examining internal consistency and correlations of factors with readiness for weight control and the experience of weight loss.

Results:

Data from 411 participants were analysed. Five factors (i.e. self-reflective thoughts, compensation by healthy eating, compensation by exercising, self-monitoring and positive thoughts), collectively consisting of 17 items, reached nearly acceptable levels of validity (adjusted goodness-of-fit index [AGFI] = .919, goodness-of-fit index [GFI] = .943, comparative fit index [CFI] = .832, root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = .045). Cronbach’s alpha coefficients ranged from .61 to .87. Scores for coping differed with the readiness for weight control and the experience of weight loss.

Conclusion:

We developed the 17-item ADLCQ to evaluate coping with the aftermath of dietary lapses and confirmed the validity and the reliability of the questionnaire.