The Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ): Psychometric properties of a measure of severity of the Night Eating Syndrome

Allison, Kelly C.; Lundgren, Jennifer D.; O’Reardon, John P.; Martino, Nicole S.; Sarwer, David B.; Wadden, Thomas A.; Crosby, Ross D.; Engel, Scott G.; Stunkard, Albert J.

doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2007.03.007

Cited by 336 publications

(338 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ) was used as screening test. 20 Participants who reported consuming a large amount of their caloric intake after their evening meal (item 5), roughly estimated as X25% of daily calories or nocturnal food ingestion (waking after sleep onset to eatFitem 9) were interviewed by a clinical psychologist with the Night Eating Syndrome History and Inventory (NESHI). The NESHI is an unpublished semi-structured interview designed to confirm the diagnosis of NES.…”

Section: Nes Diagnosismentioning

confidence: 99%

Night eating syndrome in class II–III obesity: metabolic and psychopathological features

2009

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Objective: To investigate the relationship of metabolic disorders and psychological features with the night eating syndrome (NES) in individuals with moderate-to-severe obesity. Design: Cross-sectional observation. Subjects: A total of 266 consecutive participants with class II-III obesity, entering an inpatient weight loss program. Measurements: Participants who reported consuming either a large amount of their caloric intake after the evening meal (roughly self-assessed as X25% of daily calories) or the presence of nocturnal feeding at the Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ) (N ¼ 49) were interviewed by the Night Eating Syndrome History and Inventory (NESHI). Assessment also included the clinical/ biochemical parameters of the metabolic syndrome and several questionnaires of psychopathology. NES was diagnosed by NESHI criteria (evening hyperphagia (X25% of daily food intake after the evening meal) and/or waking at night to eat at least three times a week) in the last 3 months. Results: Twenty-seven participants (10.1%) met NESHI criteria. Differences were not observed between participants with and without NES as to age, body mass index (BMI), prevalence of metabolic syndrome, Binge Eating Scale and Body Shape Questionnaire. NES participants had significantly higher scores of Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Impact of Weight on Quality of Life (IWQOL). Among NES cases, the BDI score was indicative of moderate depression in 18.5% of cases and of severe depression in 44.4%. Logistic regression analysis, adjusted for confounders, identified the BDI score as the only variable significantly associated with the diagnosis of NES. Conclusion: Diagnosing NES does not help identify obese individuals with specific medical complications, but indicates more severe psychological distress and depression.

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Section: Nes Diagnosismentioning

confidence: 99%

Night eating syndrome in class II–III obesity: metabolic and psychopathological features

2009

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“…Estimation of NES prevalence was based on NEQ scores equal to or greater than 25 29 . The DASS-21 questionnaire consists of a set of three subscales of 7 Likert-type questions with four possible answers (0-3 points).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Night eating syndrome and emotional states in university students

Borges

Figueiredo

Souto

2017

J. Hum. Growth Dev.

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Introduction: University students are exposed to many factors related to Night Eating Syndrome (NES), an eating disorder that may be associated with obesity.Objective: To determine the prevalence of NES among students from a Brazilian university and evaluate the association of the syndrome behaviours with emotional, biological and environmental factors. Methods:Cross-sectional study with 200 students from a private higher education institution located in the city of Juazeiro do Norte, Ceará, Brazil. NES was evaluated using the Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ), considering the NEQ score ≥ 25 as the cutoff value for indication of the syndrome. Depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms were assessed using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21) questionnaire. Additional information was collected about the participants (gender, age, weight and height), the academic status (enrolled course, study period and year) and the employment status (whether the participant worked at least 4h daily in addition to studying).Results: 30 participants (15%) presented NEQ score ≥ 25, indicative of NES. There was no association between the NEQ score and the variables: gender, nutritional status, work, enrolled course, study period and academic year. There was an association between NEQ score and severity of depression (p=0.0001), anxiety (p=0.0001) and stress (p=0.0218). Conclusion:Evidence of a high prevalence of NES was found among Brazilian university students and an association between the behaviours of the syndrome with depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms was found.

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“…The NEQ was developed as a screening instrument for NES (Allison et al, 2008). The items and responses to the items were revised several times from 2000 to 2006.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, there is evidence suggests that NES and BED are distinct; thus, NES needs its own, valid diagnostic criteria. To assess the core features and psychopathology associated with NES, we used the Night Eating Questionnaire (Allison et al, 2008) which contains items descriptive of NES (see Table 1) and has an alpha for the total score of . 70.…”

Section: Nih Public Accessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of diagnostic criteria for night eating syndrome using item response theory analysis

et al. 2008

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Uniform diagnostic criteria for the night eating syndrome (NES), a disorder characterized by a delay in the circadian pattern of eating, have not been established. Proposed criteria for NES were evaluated using item response theory (IRT) analysis. Six studies yielded 1,481 Night Eating Questionnaires which were coded to reflect the presence/absence of five night eating symptoms. Symptoms were evaluated based on the clinical usefulness of their diagnostic information and on the assumptions of IRT analysis (unidimensionality, monotonicity, local item independence, correct model specification), using a two parameter logistic (2PL) IRT model. Reports of (1) nocturnal eating and/ or evening hyperphagia, (2) initial insomnia, and (3) night awakenings showed high precision in discriminating those with night eating problems, while morning anorexia and delayed morning meal provided little additional information. IRT is a useful tool for evaluating the diagnostic criteria of psychiatric disorders and can be used to evaluate potential diagnostic criteria of NES empirically. Behavioral factors were identified as useful discriminators of NES. Future work should also examine psychological factors in conjunction with those identified here. KeywordsIRT; diagnosis; Night Eating Questionnaire; nocturnal ingestions; evening hyperphagia; eating disorder Original criteria for the night eating syndrome (NES) were based on a patient in whom the disorder was first noted and the subsequent treatment of 25 obese persons referred to a Special Study Clinic because of difficulties managing their obesity (Stunkard, Grace, & Wolff, Address correspondence to Kelly C. Allison, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania, Department of Psychiatry, Center for Weight and Eating Disorders, 3535 Market St., Suite 3021, Philadelphia, PA 19104-3309, USA, kca@mail.med.upenn.edu, phone: 215-898-7314; fax: 215-898-2878. 1 Present address: Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Erlangen, Germany Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. 1955). These criteria were: (1) consumption of at least 25% of daily caloric intake after the evening meal, (2) initial insomnia at least half of the time, and (3) morning anorexia. Revision of the criteria in 1999 added: (1) nighttime awakenings (at least one per night), (2) frequently accompanied by the ingestion of snacks; (3) an increase in the requirement for evening hyperphagia to greater than 50% of daily caloric intake; (4) a duration of three months; and (5) absence of bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorder (BED) ...

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The Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ): Psychometric properties of a measure of severity of the Night Eating Syndrome

Cited by 336 publications

References 25 publications

Night eating syndrome in class II–III obesity: metabolic and psychopathological features

Night eating syndrome in class II–III obesity: metabolic and psychopathological features

Night eating syndrome and emotional states in university students

Evaluation of diagnostic criteria for night eating syndrome using item response theory analysis

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