Validez y utilidad diagnóstica de la escala EAT-26 para la evaluación del riesgo de trastornos de la conducta alimentaria en población femenina de Medellín, Colombia

Objective To establish diagnostic validity and usefulness of EAT-26 for the risk assessment of Eating Disorder (ED) in a female population. Description Observational validation study questionnaire. Setting Performed in a Medellin city community care level of mixed (public and private) psychiatric consultation. Subjects Twenty five subjects aged 15 to 25 with DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for anorexia and bulimia nervosa and 111 controls without ED. Main outcomes measures 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.