Night Eating Questionnaire
{{Short description|Measure to assess symptoms of night eating syndrome}}
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The Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ) is one of the most widely used measures for the assessment of night eating syndrome.{{Cite web |title=Night Eating Syndrome: Research, Assessment, and Treatment |url=https://www.guilford.com/books/Night-Eating-Syndrome/Lundgren-Allison-Stunkard/9781462506309 |access-date=2023-06-09 |website=Guilford Press |language=en-US}}{{Cite journal |last1=Lavery |first1=Megan E. |last2=Frum-Vassallo |first2=Deirdra |date=2022-12-01 |title=An Updated Review of Night Eating Syndrome: An Under-Represented Eating Disorder |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s13679-022-00487-9 |journal=Current Obesity Reports |language=en |volume=11 |issue=4 |pages=395–404 |doi=10.1007/s13679-022-00487-9 |issn=2162-4968 |pmc=9713091 |pmid=36451065}}{{Cite journal |last=Vander Wal |first=Jillon S. |date=2012-02-01 |title=Night eating syndrome: A critical review of the literature |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027273581100184X |journal=Clinical Psychology Review |language=en |volume=32 |issue=1 |pages=49–59 |doi=10.1016/j.cpr.2011.11.001 |pmid=22142838 |issn=0272-7358|url-access=subscription }} The original NEQ was revised several times and its current version was published by Allison and colleagues in 2008.{{Cite journal |last1=Allison |first1=Kelly C. |last2=Lundgren |first2=Jennifer D. |last3=O'Reardon |first3=John P. |last4=Martino |first4=Nicole S. |last5=Sarwer |first5=David B. |last6=Wadden |first6=Thomas A. |last7=Crosby |first7=Ross D. |last8=Engel |first8=Scott G. |last9=Stunkard |first9=Albert J. |date=2008-01-01 |title=The Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ): Psychometric properties of a measure of severity of the Night Eating Syndrome |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S147101530700030X |journal=Eating Behaviors |language=en |volume=9 |issue=1 |pages=62–72 |doi=10.1016/j.eatbeh.2007.03.007 |pmid=18167324 |issn=1471-0153|url-access=subscription }} The NEQ has 14 items and responses are recorded on a five-point scale from 0 to 4 with each item having different response labels. Additional items for assessing perceived distress and functional impairment can be used but these are not included in the total score.
Scoring
The NEQ assesses four aspects of night eating syndrome: morning anorexia, evening hyperphagia, mood/sleep, and nocturnal ingestions. Items 1, 4, and 14 are inversely coded, that is, need to be recoded as 0=4, 1=3, 3=1, and 4=0 before computing subscale or total scores. Item 7 includes an additional response option "My mood does not change during the day." which, if selected, is coded with 0. There are two stop criteria: If respondents answer item 9 or item 12 with 0 (never), then all subsequent items are scored as 0. Item 13 asks about nocturnal sleep-related eating disorder and is not included in the total score. Thus, total scores are calculated by adding responses to items 1 to 12 and item 14, so they can range between 0 and 52.
Interpretation
Higher total scores indicate higher night eating syndrome symptomatology. Two cut-off scores have been proposed, a score of 25 has high sensitivity and a score of 30 has high specificity. As the NEQ is intended as a screening measure, the use of diagnostic interviews is recommended to validate a diagnosis of night eating syndrome.
Reliability
The NEQ has acceptable internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha = 0.70) and test–retest reliability (r = 0.77–0.86 across 2–3 weeks).
Validity
Convergent validity has been supported by medium-to-large positive correlations with other measures that assess eating pathology and with food intake after 6 p.m. as assessed with a food diary across 7 days. Discriminant validity has been supported by absent or small correlations with other relevant (but not eating-related) constructs such as morningness–eveningness preference.
Translated versions
The NEQ has been used in several other languages such as Portuguese,{{Cite journal |last1=Harb |first1=Ana Beatriz Cauduro |last2=Caumo |first2=Wolnei |last3=Hidalgo |first3=Maria Paz Loayza |date=June 2008 |title=Tradução e adaptação da versão brasileira do Night Eating Questionnaire |url=http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0102-311X2008000600017&lng=pt&tlng=pt |journal=Cadernos de Saúde Pública |volume=24 |issue=6 |pages=1368–1376 |doi=10.1590/S0102-311X2008000600017 |pmid=18545762 |issn=0102-311X|hdl=10183/49598 |hdl-access=free }}{{Cite journal |last1=Dantas |first1=Gleiciane Moreira |last2=Pinto |first2=Thisciane Ferreira |last3=Pereira |first3=Eanes Delgado Barros |last4=Magalhã |first4=Renan Montenegro |last5=Jú |first5=Es |last6=nior |last7=Bruin |first7=Veralice Meireles Sales de |last8=Bruin |first8=Pedro Felipe Carvalhedo de |date=2012 |title=Validation of a new Brazilian version of the |url=https://sleepscience.org.br/details/63/en-US/validation-of-a-new-brazilian-version-of-the--night-eating-questionnaire- |journal=Sleep Science |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=7–13 |issn=1984-0063}} Spanish,{{Cite journal |last1=Moizé |first1=Violeta |last2=Gluck |first2=Marci E. |last3=Torres |first3=Ferran |last4=Andreu |first4=Alba |last5=Vidal |first5=Josep |last6=Allison |first6=Kelly |date=August 2012 |title=Transcultural adaptation of the Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ) for its use in the Spanish population |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1471015312000293 |journal=Eating Behaviors |language=en |volume=13 |issue=3 |pages=260–263 |doi=10.1016/j.eatbeh.2012.02.005|pmid=22664407 |url-access=subscription }} Hebrew,{{Cite journal |last1=Latzer |first1=Yael |last2=Tzischinsky |first2=Orna |last3=Hason Rozenstein |first3=Michal |last4=Allison |first4=Kelly |date=2014 |title=Reliability and cross-validation of the Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ): Hebrew version |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24858637 |journal=The Israel Journal of Psychiatry and Related Sciences |volume=51 |issue=1 |pages=68–73 |issn=2617-2402 |pmid=24858637}} Arabic,{{Cite journal |last1=Elsadek |first1=Adel M. |last2=Hamid |first2=Mohamed S. |last3=Allison |first3=Kelly C. |date=September 2014 |title=Psychometric characteristics of the night eating questionnaire in a middle east population: NEQ in Arabic |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eat.22285 |journal=International Journal of Eating Disorders |language=en |volume=47 |issue=6 |pages=660–665 |doi=10.1002/eat.22285|pmid=24733495 |url-access=subscription }} German,{{Cite journal |last1=Meule |first1=Adrian |last2=Allison |first2=Kelly C. |last3=Platte |first3=Petra |date=2014-12-01 |title=A German version of the Night Eating Questionnaire (NEQ): Psychometric properties and correlates in a student sample |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1471015314000968 |journal=Eating Behaviors |language=en |volume=15 |issue=4 |pages=523–527 |doi=10.1016/j.eatbeh.2014.07.002 |pmid=25094066 |issn=1471-0153|url-access=subscription }} Chinese,{{Cite web |title=FROM EAST TO WEST: AN EXPLORATORY CROSS CULTURAL COMPARISON OF NIGHT |url=https://studylib.net/doc/13459055/from-east-to-west--an-exploratory-cross-cultural-comparis... |access-date=2023-06-09 |website=studylib.net |language=en}}{{Cite journal |last1=He |first1=Jinbo |last2=Ji |first2=Feng |last3=Zhang |first3=Xiaoya |last4=Fan |first4=Xitao |date=2019-02-01 |title=Psychometric properties and gender invariance of the simplified Chinese version of Night Eating Questionnaire in a large sample of mainland Chinese college students |url=https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-018-0553-7 |journal=Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity |language=en |volume=24 |issue=1 |pages=57–66 |doi=10.1007/s40519-018-0553-7 |pmid=30073542 |s2cid=51909505 |issn=1590-1262|url-access=subscription }} Italian,{{Cite journal |last1=Caredda |first1=Maria |last2=Roscioli |first2=Chiara |last3=Mistretta |first3=Martino |last4=Pacitti |first4=Francesca |date=2009 |title=[Stress vulnerability and night eating syndrome in the general population] |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20066937 |journal=Rivista di Psichiatria |volume=44 |issue=1 |pages=45–54 |issn=0035-6484 |pmid=20066937}} French,{{Cite journal |last1=Lundgren |first1=Jennifer D. |last2=Drapeau |first2=Vicky |last3=Allison |first3=Kelly C. |last4=Gallant |first4=Annette R. |last5=Tremblay |first5=Angelo |last6=Lambert |first6=Marie A. |last7=Lemieux |first7=Simone |last8=O'Loughlin |first8=L. Jennifer |last9=Pérusse |first9=Louis |last10=Stunkard |first10=Albert J. |date=August 2012 |title=Prevalence and Familial Patterns of Night Eating in the Québec Adipose and Lifestyle InvesTigation in Youth (QUALITY) Study |journal=Obesity |language=en |volume=20 |issue=8 |pages=1598–1603 |doi=10.1038/oby.2012.80 |pmid=22469955 |s2cid=28776825 |issn=1930-7381|doi-access=free }} and Korean{{Cite journal |last1=Kim |first1=Beomjong |last2=Kim |first2=Inja |last3=Choi |first3=Heejung |date=2016-02-01 |title=Psychometric Properties and Item Evaluation of Korean Version of Night Eating Questionnaire (KNEQ) |url=https://doi.org/10.4040/jkan.2016.46.1.109 |journal=Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing |language=Korean |volume=46 |issue=1 |pages=109–117 |doi=10.4040/jkan.2016.46.1.109 |pmid=26963420 |issn=2005-3673|url-access=subscription |doi-access=free }}
Modified versions
Versions of the NEQ for children and adolescents have been developed.{{Cite journal |last1=Gallant |first1=Annette R. |last2=Lundgren |first2=Jennifer |last3=Allison |first3=Kelly |last4=Stunkard |first4=Albert J. |last5=Lambert |first5=Marie |last6=O'Loughlin |first6=Jennifer |last7=Lemieux |first7=Simone |last8=Tremblay |first8=Angelo |last9=Drapeau |first9=Vicky |date=November 2012 |title=Validity of the night eating questionnaire in children |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eat.22021 |journal=International Journal of Eating Disorders |language=en |volume=45 |issue=7 |pages=861–865 |doi=10.1002/eat.22021|pmid=22516960 |url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |last1=da Silva |first1=Francisco Girleudo Coutinho |last2=Pinto |first2=Thisciane Ferreira |last3=de Souza |first3=Evanice Avelino |last4=de Bruin |first4=Veralice Meireles Sales |last5=de Bruin |first5=Pedro Felipe Carvalhedo |date=2020 |title=Adaptation of the night eating questionnaire for Brazilian adolescents |journal=Sleep Science |volume=13 |issue=2 |pages=103–106 |doi=10.5935/1984-0063.20200002 |doi-broken-date=1 November 2024 |issn=1984-0659 |pmc=7384522 |pmid=32742579}}
Comparison with other measures
The NEQ assesses symptoms over an unspecified duration and is meant to screen for night eating symptoms broadly. The Night Eating Symptom Scale{{Cite journal |last1=O'Reardon |first1=John P. |last2=Stunkard |first2=Albert J. |last3=Allison |first3=Kelly C. |date=January 2004 |title=Clinical trial of sertraline in the treatment of night eating syndrome |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eat.10224 |journal=International Journal of Eating Disorders |language=en |volume=35 |issue=1 |pages=16–26 |doi=10.1002/eat.10224 |pmid=14705153 |issn=0276-3478|url-access=subscription }} is similar to the NEQ but assesses symptoms over the previous 7 days and is meant to be used to monitor progress in treatment. The Night Eating Diagnostic Questionnaire{{Cite journal |last1=Gluck |first1=Marci E. |last2=Geliebter |first2=Allan |last3=Satov |first3=Tracy |date=April 2001 |title=Night Eating Syndrome Is Associated with Depression, Low Self-Esteem, Reduced Daytime Hunger, and Less Weight Loss in Obese Outpatients |url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1038/oby.2001.31 |journal=Obesity Research |language=en |volume=9 |issue=4 |pages=264–267 |doi=10.1038/oby.2001.31|pmid=11331430 |url-access=subscription }}{{Cite journal |last1=Nolan |first1=Laurence J. |last2=Geliebter |first2=Allan |date=April 2017 |title=Validation of the Night Eating Diagnostic Questionnaire (NEDQ) and its relationship with depression, sleep quality, "food addiction", and body mass index |url=https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0195666316309679 |journal=Appetite |language=en |volume=111 |pages=86–95 |doi=10.1016/j.appet.2016.12.027|pmid=28017909 |s2cid=3651039 |url-access=subscription }} is intended to establish a diagnosis of night eating syndrome rather than to assess a person's symptom severity. In addition to these self-report instruments, the Night Eating Syndrome History and Inventory is a semistructured clinical interview that is used to establish a diagnosis of night eating syndrome in addition to gathering information on symptom severity, distress and impaired functioning due to night eating, and precipitating factors.