Abstract
ObjectiveThe Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) is a self-report instrument assessing the specific psychopathology and key behaviors of eating disorders. This study sought to determine the prevalence of eating disturbances, and to provide psychometric properties and norms of the EDE-Q, in a representative German population sample.MethodsA total of 2520 individuals (1166 men, 1354 women) were assessed with the EDE-Q.ResultsEating disorder psychopathology was higher and most key behaviors were more prevalent in women than in men. Psychopathology declined with age ≥65 in both sexes, and showed a peak at age 55–64 in men. Overall, 5.9% of the women and 1.5% of the men revealed eating disturbances. The prevalence of eating disturbances decreased with age in women and was significantly higher in obese than in normal-weight individuals. Psychometric analyses showed favorable item characteristics. Internal consistencies of EDE-Q composite scores were ≥.80 for women and ≥.70 for men. The factor structure of the EDE-Q was partially reproduced. Sex- and age-specific population norms are reported.DiscussionThis study provides population norms of the EDE-Q for both sexes and across the age range, demonstrates demographic variations in symptomatology, and reveals satisfactory psychometric properties. Further research is warranted on eating disturbances in older adults.
Highlights
Eating disturbances are common health conditions in adults
These disturbances include a range of non-normative eating- or weight-related symptoms such as: binge eating, defined as eating an objectively large amount of food accompanied by a sense of loss of control over eating [8]; compensatory behaviors aimed at preventing weight gain; and attempts at restricting food intake, frequently motivated by concerns about eating, shape, or weight [7]
One well-established self-report questionnaire that allows for comprehensive assessment of eating disturbances is the Eating Disorder ExaminationQuestionnaire (EDE-Q) [9,10], which was developed based on the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE), a semi-structured eating disorder interview [8,11] considered the method of choice for eating disorder diagnosis and assessment [12]
Summary
Eating disturbances are common health conditions in adults. Eating disturbances are associated with increased psychopathology, health problems, and impairment in quality of life [4,6,7]. These disturbances include a range of non-normative eating- or weight-related symptoms such as: binge eating, defined as eating an objectively large amount of food accompanied by a sense of loss of control over eating [8]; compensatory behaviors aimed at preventing weight gain (e.g., self-induced vomiting, laxative misuse); and attempts at restricting food intake, frequently motivated by concerns about eating, shape, or weight [7]. Using similar operational definitions and time frames, the EDE-Q measures specific eating disorder psychopathology on four subscales, and facilitates assessment of diagnostically relevant behavioral features, such as binge eating, laxative misuse, excessive exercising, and fasting
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