Development of the Modified Yale Food Addiction Scale Version 2.0 summary version in a representative sample of Czech population

Abstract

Background: Food addiction receives attention because of its participation in the rising obesity prevalence that affects the quality of life. The Czech Republic's prevalence of obesity belongs to the highest in Europe. Methods: We used the nationally representative non-clinical sample of 1841 respondents (N = 1841; 48,8% of men and 51.2% of women). Participants filled the sociodemographic questionnaire, Czech version of mYFAS 2.0 and the Relationship Questionnaire (RQ) to test the hypothesis. Results: Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed that the single-factor model of Czech version of mYFAS 2.0 had adequate fit indices (χ2 (55) = 9670.8, p < 0.001; CFI, TLI > 0.95; SRMR < 0.07; and RMSEA < 0.08). The sample reliability in our research corresponded to Cronbach's α = 0.89 (95% CI 0.88-0.90). The youngest population (aged 15-19) had a significantly higher score of mYFAS 2.0, than the older age groups. People living alone scored significantly higher than the married respondents. The middle-income groups scored significantly lower in mYFAS 2.0 than the lowest income group. Occasional (social) smokers showed a higher mYFAS 2.0 score in comparison with non-smokers. A difference regarding attachment styles has also been revealed, respondents characterized by insecure attachment styles showed a higher YFAS score. Conclusion: The findings reinforce future work on the Czech version of mYFAS 2.0, including validation and using mYFAS 2.0 to explore food addiction and its related variables and attachment styles in the Czech environment.