Psychometric properties of a short version of the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-8) in a German representative sample

Appearance-related use of Social Networks (SNs) exhibits a clear relationship with the risk of eating disorders (ED). To determine which components of appearance-related use are most important for the detection and prediction of ED, it is necessary to measure concern about appearance on SNs in detail. The two main objectives of this study are to develop and validate the Concern about appearance on SNs scale (CONAPP), and to analyze the relationships between concern about appearance on SNs and the risk of ED. A total of 576 Spanish women over 18 years old, with an average age of 28.88 (SD = 11.14), participated in an online survey. We evaluated the use of the two most-commonly used SNs (Facebook and Instagram), concern about appearance on SNs, and eating attitudes (the latter through the Eating Attitudes Test-26). The psychometric properties of the CONAPP questionnaire were excellent. Strong positive correlations were found between concern about appearance on SNs and risk of ED. The pattern differed between users of Facebook and Instagram. Instagram users were younger, demonstrated higher risk of EDs and higher scores in the CONAPP questionnaire. The implications of the results for the prevention of ED are discussed.

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Psychometric Properties of The 26-Item Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26): An Application of Rasch Analysis

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1129639/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Natalie M. Papini ◽

Myungjin Jung ◽

Amanda Cook ◽

Nanette V Lopez ◽

Lauren T Ptomey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Eating Disorder ◽

Psychometric Properties ◽

Rasch Analysis ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Eating Attitudes ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Screening Tools ◽

Relative Distribution ◽

Eating Attitudes Test ◽

Eat 26

Abstract Background: The 26-item Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) is a commonly used tool to assess eating disorder risk. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the EAT-26 with a sample of adults (n=469; age=36.17±17.83 years; female =72.5%; white=66.3%; obese BMI category=58%).Methods: Rasch analysis of the EAT-26 assessed model-data fit, an item-person map to evaluate relative distribution items and persons, item difficulty, and person’s eating disorder (ED) risk level, differential item functioning (DIF), and rating scale functioning. Results: A total of 7 misfit items were removed from the final analysis due to unacceptable Infit and Outfit mean square residual values. The item-person map showed that the items were biased toward participants with moderate to high levels of ED risk and did not cover those who had low risk for having an ED (< -1 logits). The DIF analyses results showed that none of the items functioned differently across sex, but 5 items were flagged based on obesity status. The six-category Likert-type rating scale did not function well indicating a different response format may be needed.Conclusion: Several concerns were identified with the psychometric evaluation of the EAT-26 that may question its utility in assessing ED risk. Because the EAT-26 is a frequently used screening tool for nonclinical populations, future work should focus on developing screening tools that are more effective at assessing ED risk in people with overweight and obesity.

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