Validation of the Chilean version of the Yale food addiction scale 2.0 in a non-clinical sample

Abstract

Aims The aim was to translate and culturally adapt the Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (YFAS 2.0) to the Chilean population, evaluate its psychometric properties in a non-clinical sample, and assess the correlations between symptoms count of food addiction (FA) with demographic and anthropometric variables. Methods and participants We evaluated 301 participants (59.1% women) with a mean age of 29.7 ± 12.4 years recruited from two universities and two businesses (non-clinical sample). The Chilean YFAS 2.0 was administered, and anthropometric measurements were carried out. The internal consistency of the items was estimated, and factor structure was tested by confirmatory factor analysis. Test–retest reliability was also examined. The correlations between symptoms count of FA and weight, waist circumference (WC), Body Mass Index (BMI), percentage of body fat (BF%), and lean mass were evaluated. Results The Chilean YFAS 2.0 presented good internal consistency, and confirmatory factor analysis supported the one-factor structure, in accordance with the original version. The ICC indicated excellent test–retest reliability. The prevalence of FA was 10.3%, and the symptom count of FA was 2.1 ± 2.8. A small positive correlation between WC, BMI, and BF % and FA symptom count was found. Conclusion The Chilean YFAS 2.0 may be a useful tool to investigate FA in Chile. Level of evidence Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40519-024-01691-3.