Composite Summary Scores Capture Obesogenic Eating Risk Among Preadolescents Using the Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire

ABSTRACT Background The Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire (CEBQ) measures multiple appetitive traits. We used a data‐driven approach to identify simplified composite scores across traits to summarise obesogenic eating risk. Methods From 354 unrelated 9‐to‐12‐year‐olds, we examined 29 items from CEBQ domains measuring food approach or avoidance: food responsiveness, enjoyment of food, emotional over‐eating, desire to drink, satiety responsiveness, slowness in eating, and emotional under‐eating. Factor analysis assuming a single factor was used to reduce the number of items in one composite, obesogenic eating score. Candidate composite scores averaged items with standardized loadings ≥|0.40|, ≥|0.50|, or ≥|0.70|. Those scores, the individual domain scores, and a theory‐driven composite score were correlated with BMI z‐scores and two obesity polygenic risk scores (PRS, subset n  = 247). Results The three data‐driven composite scores (4–18 items) and the theory driven score were highly correlated with each other ( r range: 0.77–0.97) and more strongly correlated with BMI ( r range: 0.38–0.42; FDR q   Conclusions We identified CEBQ composite scores related to child BMI and genetic obesity risk, suggesting a subset of CEBQ items can measure obesity risk conferred by child appetitive traits.