RESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to develop a carbohydrate-preference rating scale (CPRS) and to investigate its validity and reliability. METHODS: A 10-item questionnaire was developed or selected by three psychiatrists. The questionnaire was administered to 157 female college students in Seoul. Construct validity was investigated by performing a principal component analysis, and reliability was assessed in terms of internal consistency using Cronbach's alpha. RESULTS: The principal component analysis revealed three factors underlying carbohydrate prefer-ences : habits of carbohydrate consumption, ability to control the consumption of carbohydrates and body weight, and the addition of sugar when drinking coffee. Taken together, these three factors accounted for 57.390% of the common variance. Cronbach's alpha was high, indicating the reliability of the questionnaire was satisfactory. When comparing the total score of the questionnaire by T test, the eating disorder group showed higher score than the control group. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the CPRS is a reliable and valid scale for assessing carbo-hydrate preferences. Although there are a lot of limitations, present study has significance as the basis of future research.