ABSTRACT
Objectives:
to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Brazilian version of the Eating Attitudes Test among university students and to analyze potential differences between sexes.
Methods:
a methodological, quantitative study was conducted with 5,292 students. Data were collected through an online questionnaire comprising 26 Likert-scale items, including sociodemographic, academic, and health-related questions. The psychometric properties assessed included factorial validity, internal consistency, psychometric sensitivity, and structural equivalence between groups.
Results:
confirmatory factor analysis supported the multidimensional structure of the instrument, with satisfactory fit indices. The chi-square statistic was 14,447.944 with 296 degrees of freedom (p < 0.001), chi-square/df ratio of 48.81, comparative fit index of 0.843, Tucker-Lewis index of 0.828, root mean square error of approximation of 0.095, and standardized root mean square residual of 0.125. Structural equivalence was observed between sexes.
Conclusions:
the instrument demonstrated robust factorial validity for use among Brazilian university students.