Validation of a Farsi version of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (F-EDE-Q) in adolescents and university students from Iran

Plain English summaryThe Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) is a questionnaire that assesses disordered eating. This study assessed whether the Farsi-language version of the EDE-Q is acceptable to use in Iranian adolescent and university populations. Participants in the study answered the items on the F-EDE-Q and other questionnaires about mental health. Results indicated that a short version of the F-EDE-Q including seven items and three subscales was the only version that was appropriate to use with both adolescents and university students. This brief version of the F-EDE-Q measured eating disorder symptoms similarly across weight status, gender, and age. Adolescent and university samples with higher weight had higher average scores on each of the three subscales. BackgroundAlthough the Farsi version of the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (F-EDE-Q) is frequently utilized to assess disordered eating in Iran, its factor structure, reliability, and validity have not been investigated in Iranian samples, which is the aim of the current investigation.MethodUsing convenience sampling, this study recruited 1112 adolescents and 637 university students to complete disordered eating and mental health-focused questionnaires, including the F-EDE-Q.ResultsConfirmatory factor analyses of the 22 attitudinal items in the F-EDE-Q indicated that a brief seven-item, three-factor model (i.e., Dietary Restraint, Shape/Weight Overvaluation, Body Dissatisfaction with Shape and Weight) was the only factor structure that fit the data well for either sample. This brief version of the F-EDE-Q was invariant across gender, body weight, and age. Adolescent and university participants with higher weight reported higher average scores on each of the three subscales. Subscale scores showed good internal consistency reliability in the two samples. Further, supporting convergent validity, subscales were significantly associated with measures of body image-related preoccupation and bulimia symptoms, as well as measures of other theoretically related constructs including depressive symptoms and self-esteem.ConclusionFindings suggest that this brief, validated measure will enable researchers and clinical providers to appropriately assess disordered eating symptoms in adolescent and young adult Farsi-speaking populations.