Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the College Eating and Drinking Behaviors Scale in US College Students

• DOI: 10.1007/s11469-016-9702-2
• Publication Date: 2016-09-02T20:10:00Z
• Authors: Alicia S. Landry; Michael B. Madson; Richard S. Mohn; Bonnie C. Nicholson
• Keywords: Health psychology

Understanding factors that are linked with harmful drinking are important to inform prevention and intervention efforts. Intentionally restricting eating before planned drinking is likely one factor with some empirical support. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate psychometric properties of the College Eating and Drinking Behaviors Scale (CEDBS) in US College Students. The CEDBS is a self-report measure aimed at assessing disordered eating behaviors students intentionally engage in before consuming alcohol. Exploratory factor analysis identified a three factor (Quicker Intoxication, Offset Calories, and Alternative Methods) solution that explained 68.63 % of cumulative variance and internal consistencies were at or above .92 for each subscale. All subscales were positively correlated with typical weekly alcohol consumption and alcohol-related negative consequences. Results provide preliminary evidence supporting the potential of CEDBS as a measure for assessing eating behaviors that may exacerbate harmful drinking and related negative consequences.