[Diagnostic validity and usefulness of the Eating Attitudes Test-26 for the assessment of eating disorders risk in a Colombian female population].
OBJECTIVE
To establish diagnostic validity and usefulness of EAT-26 for the risk assessment of Eating Disorder (ED) in a female population.


METHODS
Observational validation study questionnaire.


METHODS
Performed in a Medellin city community care level of mixed (public and private) psychiatric consultation.


METHODS
Twenty five subjects aged 15 to 25 with DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for anorexia and bulimia nervosa and 111 controls without ED.


METHODS
The case sample was for convenience and in controls an aleatory simple one. Gold standard (structured psychiatrist interview confirming the fulfillment of ED case inclusion criteria) was compared with EAT-26 questionnaire; reliability was assessed, cultural, semantics and factorial validation was made and the best cut-off score was established with the ROC curve.


RESULTS
Four domains remain in the instrument: bulimia, dieting, food preoccupation and oral control. The Cronbach's alpha was 92.1% and a score of 11 and over is the best cut-off (sensitivity 100%, and specificity 85.6%).


CONCLUSIONS
This modified and abbreviated EAT-26 questionnaire is an ideal multidimensional instrument for ED screening in risk population, with excellent reliability and sensitivity values and satisfactory specificity. EAT-26 is a useful measure to be considered when strategies for ED early detection are implemented in young women.
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín, Colombia. Electronic address: gconstain@hotmail.com.
Gustavo A
GA
Constaín
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín, Colombia.
Carmenza
C
Ricardo Ramírez
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín, Colombia.
María de Los Ángeles
Mde L
Rodríguez-Gázquez
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín, Colombia.
Matilde
M
Alvarez Gómez
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín, Colombia.
Catalina
C
Marín Múnera
Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, Medellín, Colombia.
Carolina
C
Agudelo Acosta
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D003105:Colombia; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D018570:Risk Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
Curva ROC; Eating disorders; Estudios de validación; ROC curve; Reproducibilidad de resultados; Reproducibility of results; Sensibilidad y especificidad; Sensitivity and specificity; Trastornos de la conducta alimentaria; Validation studies