Validation of the Nine Item Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Screen (NIAS) in a Flemish Sample of Community Adults
7 affiliations
- 1Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- 2Child & Youth Institute, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- 3Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Antwerp, Wilrijk, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium
- 4Research Department, Odisee University of Applied Sciences, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
- 5Center for Contextual Psychiatry, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, 3000 Leuven, Belgium
- 6Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, 5037 AB Tilburg, The Netherlands
- 7Educational Unit for Professional Training and Service in the Behavioural Sciences (UNIBS), University of the Free State, Bloemfontein 9301, South Africa
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is characterized by restricted food intake with significant physical and/or psychosocial consequences. ARFID comprises three subtypes: sensory-based food avoidance, lack of interest in eating, and fear of aversive consequences of eating. The Nine Item ARFID Screen (NIAS) was developed to assess these three ARFID subtypes. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Dutch NIAS in a Flemish adult sample. Methods: A community sample of 424 adults (18–65 years) completed the Dutch NIAS and self-report measures assessing eating disorder symptoms, psychological symptoms, and identity functioning. The factor structure, internal consistency, and measurement invariance of the NIAS scales were examined, as were the associations between the NIAS scales and psychological symptoms. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis supported the three-factor structure of the Dutch NIAS. The three subscales showed good internal consistency (all α/ω ≥ 0.82). Partial scalar invariance across BMI categories was supported after freeing Item 7, whereas scalar invariance across gender and age groups was not established. NIAS subscale scores were significantly positively related to eating disorder symptomatology, anxiety, depression, somatic symptoms, and identity diffusion, and they were negatively associated with BMI, identity synthesis, and self-esteem. Conclusions: The Dutch NIAS demonstrates good reliability and factorial validity for assessing ARFID-related symptoms in the younger adult subgroup (<40 years) across gender and weight categories. However, the observed differences in measurement invariance, particularly across age groups, warrant further investigation in larger and more diverse samples.
Related
- Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder in Children and Adolescents: Nutritional Risk, Diagnostic Boundaries, and Multidisciplinary Care—A Narrative Review
- Beyond Weight Gain in Family-Based Treatment for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder: A Response to Lock et al. (2026)
- Shared and Distinct Clinical Features in Treatment‐Seeking Adults With Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder or Anorexia Nervosa Subtypes
- When Food Avoidance Meets Compatible Diagnostic Criteria: Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Features in Irritable Bowel Syndrome
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BibTeX
@article{claes2026validation,
title = {{Validation of the Nine Item Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Screen (NIAS) in a Flemish Sample of Community Adults}},
author = {Laurence Claes and Dirk Smits and Lore Vankerckhoven and Glenn Kiekens and Koen Luyckx},
journal = {Nutrients},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3390/nu18213498},
url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/21/3498},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Validation of the Nine Item Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Screen (NIAS) in a Flemish Sample of Community Adults
AU - Laurence Claes
AU - Dirk Smits
AU - Lore Vankerckhoven
AU - Glenn Kiekens
AU - Koen Luyckx
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/24
JO - Nutrients
DO - 10.3390/nu18213498
UR - https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/18/21/3498
AB - Background/Objectives: Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is characterized by restricted food intake with significant physical and/or psychosocial consequences. ARFID comprises three subtypes: sensory-based food avoidance, lack of interest in eating, and fear of aversive consequences of eating. The Nine Item ARFID Screen (NIAS) was developed to assess these three ARFID subtypes. This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Dutch NIAS in a Flemish adult sample. Methods: A community sample of 424 adults (18–65 years) completed the Dutch NIAS and self-report measures assessing eating disorder symptoms, psychological symptoms, and identity functioning. The factor structure, internal consistency, and measurement invariance of the NIAS scales were examined, as were the associations between the NIAS scales and psychological symptoms. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis supported the three-factor structure of the Dutch NIAS. The three subscales showed good internal consistency (all α/ω ≥ 0.82). Partial scalar invariance across BMI categories was supported after freeing Item 7, whereas scalar invariance across gender and age groups was not established. NIAS subscale scores were significantly positively related to eating disorder symptomatology, anxiety, depression, somatic symptoms, and identity diffusion, and they were negatively associated with BMI, identity synthesis, and self-esteem. Conclusions: The Dutch NIAS demonstrates good reliability and factorial validity for assessing ARFID-related symptoms in the younger adult subgroup (<40 years) across gender and weight categories. However, the observed differences in measurement invariance, particularly across age groups, warrant further investigation in larger and more diverse samples.
SN - 2072-6643
ER -