Screening for eating disorders in undergraduate women: Norms and validity of the spanish version of the eating disorder examination questionnaire (EDE-Q)

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the internal consistency reliability and the convergent validity of the Spanish version of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) and to provide EDE-Q norms for Spanish undergraduate women. Seven hundred eight college women, aged 18-30 years, volunteered to complete the EDE-Q, BSQ and EDI-2. Satisfactory internal consistency for the four subscales and the global score of the EDE-Q was obtained (Cronbach's α≥.81). The EDI-2 Drive for Thinness and Body Dissatisfaction subscales and the BSQ global factor score correlated highly and positively with the corresponding EDE-Q subscales (r≥.72). Average scores, standard deviations and percentile ranks for the raw EDE-Q subscales and data on the occurrence of binge eating and compensatory behaviors are presented. Most of these values were lower than those found in other non-European developed countries. Results support the satisfactory internal consistency and convergent validity of the Spanish version of the EDE-Q. Lower scores in EDE-Q subscales suggest the need to study a lower cut-off point for clinical significance in Spanish college women. These data will help clinicians and researchers to interpret the EDE-Q scores of college women in Spain. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.