Chronobiology internationalSep 11, 2026

Daily patterns and questionnaire accuracy for morningness-eveningness in people living near the equator in Ecuador

Circadian Biology Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Sep 12, 2026

Abstract

A descriptive analysis of chronotype distribution in Quito, Ecuador, with a sample size of 800, showed that most participants were classified as Intermediate or Morning types.

The study examined the psychometric properties of the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire in a region with a constant light-dark cycle.
Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis identified three main factors: morningness, activation, and bedtime preference.
Issues were noted with internal consistency across factors and low convergent validity.
Test-retest reliability was found to be null, indicating potential limitations in the questionnaire's stability over time.

Simplified

The Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire developed by Horne and Östberg has long been used to assess chronotype preferences in people worldwide. However, many of the questionnaire's validations have been conducted in countries located at latitudes far from the equatorial line, rather than in regions where the light-dark cycle is more constant, such as Ecuador. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the chronobiological distribution and psychometric properties of the questionnaire in the city of Quito, Ecuador, a region situated close to latitude zero. To this end, a descriptive analysis of chronotype distribution was conducted on the full sample (N = 800), revealing that the majority of participants were classified as Intermediate (Neither Type) or Morning types. Furthermore, an Exploratory and Confirmatory Factor Analysis was performed, resulting in a reduction to three main factors: morningness (items 11, 15, 18 and 19), activation (items 2, 10, and 12), and bedtime preference (items 3, 4, 7, and 13). However, despite the robustness of the model, there were issues with internal consistency across factors, low convergent validity, and null test-retest reliability. Finally, the study discusses the importance of this type of research on chronobiological preferences in countries near latitude zero.

Full Text

Full text is available at the source.

View Full Text ↗

Daily patterns and questionnaire accuracy for morningness-eveningness in people living near the equator in Ecuador

Abstract

Full Text

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

What Lands in Your Inbox Each Week:

Recent issues from the circadian biology brief