Sensitivity, specificity, and cut-off points in the Brief Questionnaire for Measuring Disordered Eating Behaviors in Mexican Women.

BACKGROUND: Evidence suggests that disordered eating behaviors can result in eating disorders, which is already a reality for the Mexican population, representing an increasingly complex public health problem. Early detection is therefore essential. AIM OF THE STUDY: To obtain the sensitivity, specificity, and cut-off points of the Brief Questionnaire for Measuring Disordered Eating Behaviors to identify eating disorders in Mexican women. METHODS: The Eating Disorders Examination-Questionnaire and the Brief Questionnaire for Disordered Eating Behaviors were applied to patients diagnosed with eating disorders at two public health institutions and university students. ROC analysis was performed to determine sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and cut-off points. RESULTS: Three cut-off points were obtained: first: eight points (Sensitivity = 60.7%, Specificity = 92.2%), showing low risk; second: 11 points (sensitivity = 24.1%; specificity = 98.9%), detecting moderate risk; and, finally, 15 points and over (sensitivity = 4.46%; specificity = 100%), indicating high risk. CONCLUSIONS: The instrument adequately identifies those individuals who are not at risk for eating disorders, making it possible to channel prevention efforts towards those who do have DEB, thus optimizing resources. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III: case-control analytic study.

Validation of eating disorders examination questionnaire in Mexican women.

BACKGROUND: Efficient assessment of eating disorders (ED) is indispensable for research and clinical practice in Mexico. One of the most commonly used questionnaires, the EDE-Q, has a self-applicable questionnaire format with 28 questions and four subscales drawn from the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE), a semistructured interview developed to evaluate the specific symptomatology of eating disorders. OBJECTIVE: Obtain the factorial structure and construct validity of the EDE-Q questionnaire in Mexican women. METHOD: The language in the EDE-Q was adapted. It was applied to university students (N = 330) and a sample of patients with ED (N = 165) from two ED outpatient treatment services. The anthropometric data of the participants was obtained. Internal consistency was explored using the Cronbach's Alpha coefficient and a confirmatory factor analysis was conducted by group. RESULTS: Cronbach's alpha was 0.9 for the full scale in all groups, while the reliability of each of the subscales fluctuated between 0.8 and 0.9. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the fit of the seven-item model in three factors was better than that of the original 22-item one and that of the eight-item model for one factor. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides information supporting the seven-item and three-factor version, rather than the original or eight-item versions of the EDE-Q. In the future, the adapted version of the EDE-Q will make it possible to draw comparisons between Mexican samples in other socio-cultural contexts. Future research is required to continue refining the instruments to achieve more representative results from the general ED population.

Experience of an eating disorders out-patient program in an internal medicine hospital.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to develop a successful low budget out-patient program, in an internal medicine hospital, for patients presenting eating disorders in an emerging nation. METHODS: A total of 144 patients were included in a 6 month intervention centered in medical support, with fortnightly medical consultations, monthly counseling by a nutritionist and by a psychiatrist and three psycho-educational courses. The Three Factor Eating Questionnaire and the Eating Disorders Inventory-2 were performed at the beginning and at the end of the study. RESULTS: After 6 months, more than half of the patients who completed the intervention were on remission. Substantial improvement was observed regarding the scores of both instruments after completion of the program. CONCLUSIONS: The outcome of this study compares favorably to previous published data of more intensive programs. These results were obtained having little infrastructure, a low budget and limited human resources, making this a suitable eating disorders program for emerging nations.