Translation and Validation of the Japanese version of the Adult Picky Eating Questionnaire (J-APEQ)
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Picky eating is a multidimensional eating behavior that has been studied primarily in children, although it is also observed in adults. The Adult Picky Eating Questionnaire (APEQ) was developed to assess multiple dimensions of picky eating in adults, but a validated Japanese version has not been available. The present study aimed to develop and validate a Japanese version of the APEQ (J-APEQ) (Researcher-led translation) and to compare it with a translation generated using generative artificial intelligence (AI-generated translation). The researcher-led translation was completed by 892 Japanese adults, with 210 participants completing the scale again after three weeks. A separate sample of 939 participants completed an AI-generated translation. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the original four-factor structure of the researcher-led J-APEQ, and a second-order factor model also showed acceptable fit. The composite score showed adequate internal consistency, while reliability was lower for some subscales, particularly Meal Disengagement and Taste Aversion. Test–retest reliability was moderate, and correlations with food neophobia, disgust, and eating-attitude measures generally supported convergent validity. The AI-generated translation showed a factor structure and reliability broadly comparable to those of the researcher-led translation. Measurement invariance analyses supported configural, threshold, metric, and partial scalar invariance between the two versions. In the present study, however, the researcher-led translation was the version formally validated and established as the Japanese APEQ (J-APEQ), whereas the AI-generated translation was included for comparison. These findings support the use of the J-APEQ for assessing picky eating in Japanese adults and suggest that generative AI may be useful as a tool for psychological scale translation, although human review and validation remain necessary.
Source: PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints)
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7213415526