Validation of a new screening questionnaire for disordered eating behaviors in men

Purpose The aim of this study was to develop an instrument to identify disordered eating behaviors (DEB) in college men (hereafter, DEBM-Q). Methods A two-stage project consisting of a diagnostic scale construction (n(1) = 9 for interviews, n(2) = 9 for cognitive laboratory) and a validation study with a cross-sectional sample (N = 570) was carried out. Both semi-structured interviews and a cognitive laboratory with nine participants were conducted to obtain DEBM-Q items. DEBM-Q was applied to 570 freshmen male in Mexico City. Psychometric characteristics and internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) were analyzed. An item-total correlation value greater than 0.30 was determined, and factor loads greater than 0.40 were considered valid. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA, n(1) = 297) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA, n(2) = 273) were performed. Results Two fixed factors explaining 55.08% of the total variance were extracted. Factor 1, "Drive for Thinness" (8 items), explained 30.84% of the variance, whereas factor 2, "Drive for Muscularity" (8 items), explained 24.23% of the variance. Cronbach's alpha for the whole questionnaire was 0.84. DEBM-Q was correlated with the Dutch Food Restriction Scale (RS) (r = 0.52, p < 0.001), Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) (r = 0.46, p < 0.001), Emotional Eating Scale (EES) (r = 0.18, p < 0.001), and Negative Affect Subscale (PANAS-X) (r = 0.11, p < 0.005). Conclusion DEBM-Q is a valid and practical short screening tool (16 items) allowing early identification of disordered eating in young men, thereby facilitating clinical management.