Table 2.
Factor loadings from the MEQ principal component analysis
| aItem | Factor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
| Ab21. Before I eat I take a moment to appreciate | .829 | .110 | .103 | .054 | .017 |
| A 20. I notice when foods and drinks are too sweet | .783 | .084 | .180 | .065 | .040 |
| A 22. I taste every bite of food that I eat. | .762 | .085 | .047 | .088 | .203 |
| A 16. I appreciate the way my food looks on my plate. | .733 | .266 | .018 | .076 | .009 |
| A 12. When eating a pleasant meal, I notice if … | .596 | .315 | .117 | .020 | .246 |
| A 26. I notice when the food I eat affects my emotional… | .582 | .015 | .335 | .025 | .138 |
| A 10. I notice when there are subtle flavors | .467 | .136 | .048 | .087 | .104 |
| DI 11. If there are leftovers that I like, I take | .101 | .694 | .116 | .238 | .255 |
| DI 2. When I eat at “all you can eat” buffets | .048 | .654 | .335 | .092 | .083 |
| DI 15. I stop eating when I’m full even | .121 | .653 | .078 | .135 | .279 |
| DI 7. When I’m eating one of my favorite . | .052 | .647 | .161 | .136 | .016 |
| DI 9. If it doesn’t cost much more, I get… | .056 | .542 | .123 | .216 | .301 |
| DI 18. If there’s good food at a party, I’ll continue… | .038 | .506 | .447 | .265 | .161 |
| DI 25. When I’m at a restaurant, I can tell… | .314 | .502 | .063 | .042 | .041 |
| ER 27. I have trouble not eating ice cream… | .098 | .016 | .777 | .071 | .184 |
| ER 13. I snack without noticing that I am eating. | .044 | .058 | .640 | .308 | .370 |
| ER17. When I’m feeling stressed at work, | .107 | .291 | .634 | .309 | .144 |
| ER 19. When I’m sad, I eat to feel better. | .135 | .234 | .617 | .306 | .185 |
| EC 24. I notice when I’m eating from a dish | .036 | .319 | .453 | .246 | .189 |
| EC 5. When a restaurant portion is too large, | .048 | .011 | .406 | .144 | .291 |
| EC 8. I notice when just going into a movie. | .058 | .150 | .033 | .746 | .041 |
| EC14. When I eat a big meal, I notice… | .069 | .074 | .203 | .717 | .194 |
| EC 4. I recognize when food advertisements make… | .004 | .201 | .118 | .684 | .084 |
| EC 23. I recognize when I’m eating and not hungry. | .211 | .102 | .159 | .607 | .159 |
| EC 3. At a party where there is a lot of good food, | .053 | .258 | .223 | .461 | .461 |
| DT 6. My thoughts tend to wander while I am eating | .039 | .229 | .120 | .066 | .804 |
| DT 28. I think about things I need to do while I am eating. | .101 | .140 | .029 | .049 | .741 |
| DT 1. I eat so quickly that I don’t taste what I’m eating. | .014 | .242 | .316 | .018 | .664 |
aItems: A Awareness, DI Disinhibition, ER Emotional Response, EC External Cues, DT Distraction
bQuestion numbers