Purpose: This study aimed to develop and validate the Brief Eating Self-Efficacy Scale (ESEBS-BR) in Brazilian Portuguese, addressing the lack of tools to assess eating self-efficacy beliefs in Portuguese-speaking populations.
Method: The study sought to cross-culturally adapt the scale, evaluate its internal structure, validate its reliability and validity, and explore potential associations between eating self-efficacy and eating behaviors. The cross-cultural adaptation process involved translation and back-translation, expert committees, and pre-testing. Scale validation was conducted with 228 participants, including reliability analyses, confirmatory factor analysis, and correlations with established measures of eating behavior.
Results: The ESEBS-BR, maintaining all 8 original items, demonstrated high reliability, with a two-factor structure model confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. Significant correlations were found between ESEBS-BR scores and measures of binge eating and eating behaviors, validating its criterion validity.
Conclusions: The development and validation of the ESEBS-BR represent a significant contribution to the assessment of eating self-efficacy in the Brazilian population. The scale proved to be sensitive, reliable, and valid, offering an important tool for research and clinical interventions related to eating behavior.
Level of evidence: V, descriptive cross-sectional study.
Keywords: Eating behavior; Eating self-efficacy; Scale; Validation.
© 2024. The Author(s).