Eating Competence among a Select Sample of Brazilian Adults: Translation and Reproducibility Analyses of the Satter Eating Competence Inventory

This study aimed to translate and validate the Satter Eating Competence Inventory (ecSI2.0 (TM)) from English to Brazilian Portuguese. The process included three steps: (i) translation and back-translation of the original ecSI2.0 (TM) to Brazilian Portuguese; (ii) evaluation of its reproducibility; (iii) a pilot study to validate the Brazilian version of the Satter Eating Competence Inventory (ecSI2.0 (TM) BR) for a selected sample of the Brazilian adult population (internal consistency and factor validity). The reproducibility (test-retest reliability) was verified using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) obtained by the responses of 32 Brazilian adults. All domains of the ecSI2.0 (TM) BR and the total score showed ICC > 0.8. Considering the entire questionnaire, none of the domains presented significant divergences among the participants' responses (p< 0.001). In the pilot study with 662 individuals, 74.9% (n= 496) were female, mean age was 40.33 +/- 12.55, and they presented a higher level of schooling and income. Analyses revealed Cronbach's alpha coefficients of 0.869 for the ecSI2.0 (TM) BR total scale, 0.793 for Eating Attitudes, 0.527 for Internal Regulation, 0.728 for Food Acceptance, and 0.822 for Contextual Skills. In general, the ecSI2.0 (TM) BR presented good acceptability, showing total floor and ceiling effects of <= 0.6%. Factor validity was examined by confirmatory factor analysis. The four domains presented a good fit in the confirmatory factor analysis: RMSEA = 0.0123 (95% CI: 0-0.0266); CFI = 0.998; chi(2) = 75.9; df = 69;p= 0.266. The ecSI2.0 (TM) BR is the first tool designed to measure eating competence (EC) in the Brazilian population, showing good reproducibility and internal consistency. We expect the ecSI2.0 (TM) BR will support innovative research to investigate the association of EC and health outcomes, as well as new strategies based on emerging behavioral theories to enhance nutritional education policy.