An empirical evaluation of the translation to Brazilian Portuguese of the Loss of Control over Eating Scale (LOCES)

Background Loss of control over eating is a key feature of the most prevalent eating disorders. The Loss of Control over Eating Scale (LOCES) enables a thorough assessment of loss of control over eating. Objective This study empirically evaluated the translation of the LOCES from English to Brazilian Portuguese. Methods The scale was translated to Brazilian Portuguese and back translated to English in order to check accuracy of the translation. Two hundred and ninety-three medicine and nursing students, 60 males and 233 females, 18-55 years old, with mean body mass index (BMI) 23.2 kg/m2 (SD 4.1), recruited between August and December 2014, answered the Brazilian Portuguese LOCES. An exploratory factor analysis was performed. Results Exploratory factor analysis of the Brazilian Portuguese LOCES showed three distinct factors of the loss of control over eating (disgust/negative sensations, cognitive experiences/dissociation, and “positive” effects) as well as moderate consistency with previous reports of exploratory factor analysis of the English version. Discussion This study showed satisfactory translation of the LOCES from English to Brazilian Portuguese, which is now ready for further validation