This study aimed to analyze the factorial structure and the scale of measurement of the items for dependence of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) adapted for sugar consumption in order to verify if the structural characteristics can be applied to sugar dependence. The questionnaire was applied to a sample of 500 subjects in Brazil (67% female; mean age: 38 y.o.; 43% from weight control clinics; 63% with normal BMI). An exploratory factor analysis was performed to determine the factorial structure and unidimensionality; and, a Rasch model analysis, to verify unidimensionality and items distribution. The model with best fit is unidimensional. All items had good fit to the Rasch model with a reliability of .99, infit between .86 and 1.14 and outfit from .71 to 1.20. The items of MINI Plus adapted for sugar dependence presented good psychometric properties, suggesting that the dependence criteria of DSM-IV support the verification of the construct for sugar addiction.
Sugar; dependence; questionnaires; validation studies
