The Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ)

An Instrument for Assessing

Parental Control in Child Feeding

Leann L. Birch, Ph.D.

Susan L. Johnson, Ph.D.
Karen Grimm-Thomas
Jennifer O. Fisher, Ph.D.

The Pennsylvania State University

CFQ-revised 10/30/98 1
 INSTRUCTIONS:
Using the scale below, please circle one number for each question which best corresponds to
your answer. Please answer about your child who is in our study.

half of most
never seldom time of time always

1. When your child is at home, how often are

1 2 3 4 5
you responsible for feeding her?

2. How often are you responsible for deciding

1 2 3 4 5
what your child=s portion sizes are?

3. How often are you responsible for deciding

if your child has eaten the right kind of 1 2 3 4 5
foods?

Using the scale below, please indicate how you would classify your own weight at each of
these 4 time periods listed below (Please circle ONLY ONE number for each time period)
underweight

underweight

overweight

overweight
markedly

markedly
average

4. Your Childhood (5 to 10 years old) 1 2 3 4 5

5. Your Adolescence 1 2 3 4 5

6. Your 20's 1 2 3 4 5

7. Currently 1 2 3 4 5

CFQ-revised 10/30/98 2
 Using the scale below, please indicate how you would classify
your child=s weight at each of these 4 time periods listed below.
(Please circle ONLY ONE number for each time period)

underweight

underweight

overweight

overweight
markedly

markedly
average
8. Your child during the first year of life 1 2 3 4 5

9. Your child as a toddler 1 2 3 4 5

10. Your child as a pre-schooler 1 2 3 4 5

11. Your child kindergarten through 2nd grade 1 2 3 4 5

12. Your child from 3rd through 5th grade 1 2 3 4 5

13. Your child from 6th through 8th grade 1 2 3 4 5

Using the scale below, please circle one number for each question which best corresponds to
your answer. Please answer about your child who is in our study.
unconcerned
unconcerned

concerned
concerned
slightly

slightly
neutral

14. How concerned are you about your child

eating too much when you are not around 1 2 3 4 5
her?

15. How concerned are you about your child

having to diet to maintain a desirable 1 2 3 4 5
weight?

16. How concerned are you about your child

1 2 3 4 5
becoming over weight?

CFQ-revised 10/30/98 3
 INSTRUCTIONS:
Using the scale below, please circle one number for each question which best corresponds to
your answer. Please answer about your child who is in our study.

disagree

disagree
slightly

slightly
neutral

agree

agree
17. I have to be sure that my child does not
eat too many sweets (candy, ice cream, 1 2 3 4 5
cake or pastries).
18. I have to be sure that my child does not
1 2 3 4 5
eat too many high fat foods.
19. I have to be sure that my child does not
1 2 3 4 5
eat too much of her favorite foods.
20. I intentionally keep some foods out of my
1 2 3 4 5
child=s reach.
21. I offer sweets (candy, ice cream, cake,
pastries) to my child as a reward for 1 2 3 4 5
good behavior.
22. I offer my child her favorite foods in
1 2 3 4 5
exchange for good behavior.
23. If I did not guide or regulate my child=s
eating, she would eat too many junk 1 2 3 4 5
foods.
24. If I did not guide or regulate my child=s
eating, she would eat too much of her 1 2 3 4 5
favorite foods.
25. My child should always eat all of the
1 2 3 4 5
food on her plate.
26. I have to be especially careful to make
1 2 3 4 5
sure my child eats enough.
27. If my child says AI=m not hungry,@ I try to
1 2 3 4 5
get her to eat anyway.
28. If I did not guide or regulate my child=s
eating, she would eat much less than she 1 2 3 4 5
should.

CFQ-revised 10/30/98 4
 INSTRUCTIONS:
Using the scale below, please circle one number for each question which best corresponds to
your answer. Please answer about your child who is in our study.

never rarely sometimes mostly always

29. How much do you keep track of the

sweets (candy, ice cream cake, pies, 1 2 3 4 5
pastries) that your child eats?
30. How much do you keep track of the
snack food (potato chips, Doritos, 1 2 3 4 5
cheese puffs) that your child eats?
31. How much do you keep track of the
high fat foods that your child eats? 1 2 3 4 5

CFQ-revised 10/30/98 5