New Eating Behavior and Appetite Questionnaire (EBAQ) shows clarity and relevance for assessing obesity-related eating behaviors.

Effective obesity management often involves medications that significantly impact patients' appetite and eating behaviors. However, existing patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures frequently fall short in comprehensively capturing these crucial concepts, particularly for individuals undergoing treatment. This gap limits the ability of clinicians and researchers to fully understand and quantify the nuanced changes in eating patterns that contribute to treatment success or challenges. A robust, patient-centric tool is needed to accurately assess these behavioral shifts.

Researchers developed the Eating Behavior and Appetite Questionnaire (EBAQ) using a targeted literature review, exit interviews with 40 participants from a phase 2 retatrutide trial (NCT04881760), and interviews with 3 obesity medicine clinicians. The EBAQ's content was then evaluated through cognitive interviews with 24 USA-based adults diagnosed with obesity or overweight with at least one obesity-related complication (e.g., hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease). Participants provided feedback on instructions, recall period, response options, and item clarity.

All 24 cognitive interview participants reported a positive overall impression of the EBAQ, confirming they understood its instructions and recall period. The vast majority, n=23 (96%), found the response options to be clear and appropriate for their experiences. Participants consistently considered the individual items within the EBAQ to be clear and highly relevant to their lives with obesity. The final EBAQ is a 21-item PRO measure, structured across three domains, designed to evaluate eight distinct appetite and eating behavior concepts. These concepts are specifically chosen for their relevance to individuals living with obesity and their potential to change in response to obesity treatments. This comprehensive content evaluation suggests the EBAQ is a well-understood and pertinent tool. The EBAQ's 21 items across three domains effectively capture eight key appetite and eating behavior concepts relevant to obesity management.