A meta-analysis assessing reliability of the Yale Food Addiction Scale: Implications for compulsive eating and obesity.

Journal: Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity

Volume: 26

Issue: 4

Year of Publication: 2025

Affiliated Institutions:  Government Hospitals, Manama, Bahrain. Department of Humanities, COMSATS University Islamabad, Islamabad, Pakistan. High Institute of Sport and Physical Education of Sfax, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia. Department of Training and Movement Science, Institute of Sport Science, Mainz, Germany. Centre for Research and Development, Chandigarh University, Mohali, Punjab, India. Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience and the Child Study Center and Wu Tsai Institute, Yale School of Medicine/Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA. Institute of Allied Health Sciences, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan. Department of Nursing, School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, Hälsohögskolan, Jönköping, Sweden.

Abstract summary 

Food addiction (FA) is linked to eating disorders and obesity. The Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS), which has various versions in different languages, is widely used to assess FA worldwide. This meta-analysis aimed to assess the YFAS through reliability generalization meta-analysis (REGEMA). From their inception until April 2024, a comprehensive systematic review across more than 30 databases was conducted to identify studies reporting reliability measures (e.g., Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega) of the YFAS. Sixty-five studies were included in this meta-analysis, with a median sample size of 451 participants. The results of the random-effects meta-analysis showed a high pooled reliability coefficient (α = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.83 to 0.86 p < 0.001). Test-retest reliability was also estimated using a random-effects meta-analysis of 10 studies, resulting in a pooled test-retest correlation coefficient of intraclass coefficients of (ICC = 0.77, 95% CI: 0.70 to 0.84, p < 0.001). These findings highlight the consistency and robustness of the YFAS in detecting FA across studies, suggesting its reliability for screening for FA-related disordered eating.

Authors & Co-authors:  Jahrami Haitham H Husain Waqar W Trabelsi Khaled K Ammar Achraf A Pandi-Perumal Seithikurippu R SR Saif Zahra Z Potenza Marc N MN Lin Chung-Ying CY Pakpour Amir H AH

Study Outcome 

Source Link: Visit source

Statistics
Citations :  Mokdad AH, Marks JS, Stroup DF, Gerberding JL. Actual causes of death in the United States, 2000. Jama. 2004. doi:10.1001/JAMA.291.10.1238
Authors :  9
Identifiers
Doi : e13881
SSN : 1467-789X
Study Population
Male,Female
Mesh Terms
Humans
Other Terms
Cronbach's alpha;food addiction;meta‐analysis;reliability
Study Design
Study Approach
Systemic Review
Country of Study
Publication Country
England