Abstract
This paper aimed to develop a reliable measurement tool to evaluate the meanings of food that could be used in both practice and research and to examine possible gender differences. A new meaning of food questionnaire (MOF) was refined across two studies (study 1, n = 451 and study 2, n = 170). The final questionnaire consisted of 25 items and 8 reliable subscales: food and sex, emotional regulation, treat, guilt, social interaction, control over life, control over food, family. The new Meaning of Food (MOF) questionnaire could be used in both research and clinical practice to profile patients and explore predictors of eating behaviour. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.