Nutrients, Vol. 18, Pages 1028: Psychometric Properties and Factor Structure of the Polish ChEDE-Q in a Community Sample of Adolescents: Associations with BMI
Nutrients doi: 10.3390/nu18071028
Authors:
Małgorzata Wąsacz
Damian Frej
Danuta Ochojska
Marta Kopańska
Background: The Child and Adolescent Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (ChEDE-Q) is a widely used self-report screening instrument for assessing eating disorder psychopathology in young people. Evidence on the psychometric properties of the Polish-language version remains limited. This pilot study evaluated the internal consistency, dimensional structure, and BMI-related convergent validity of the Polish ChE-DE-Q in a regional youth sample. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used, including 200 participants aged 10–18 years. Item characteristics and data quality were examined. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega. Dimensional structure was evaluated with exploratory factor analysis (EFA) based on a polychoric correlation matrix and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) comparing one-factor, four-factor, and bifactor models. Convergent validity was examined using Spearman’s rank correlations with BMI and linear regression analyses with BMI z-scores. Results: The global score showed high internal consistency (α = 0.898; ω = 0.900). Subscale reliability ranged from acceptable to high. EFA supported a multidimensional solution. In CFA, the bifactor model showed the best fit among the tested alternatives (CFI = 0.742; TLI = 0.681; RMSEA = 0.122; SRMR = 0.084), but none of the tested models achieved fully satisfactory absolute fit. The global score correlated positively with BMI (rho = 0.282; p < 0.001) and was significantly associated with BMI z-score in regression analysis (B = 0.334; p < 0.001). Conclusions: The Polish ChEDE-Q global score demonstrated strong internal consistency and preliminary BMI-related convergent validity. The findings provide initial support for a general factor and for using the global score in screening-oriented research; however, the pilot character of the study and the suboptimal absolute fit indices indicate that further validation in larger and more heterogeneous samples is required.
Background: The Child and Adolescent Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (ChEDE-Q) is a widely used self-report screening instrument for assessing eating disorder psychopathology in young people. Evidence on the psychometric properties of the Polish-language version remains limited. This pilot study evaluated the internal consistency, dimensional structure, and BMI-related convergent validity of the Polish ChE-DE-Q in a regional youth sample. Methods: A cross-sectional design was used, including 200 participants aged 10–18 years. Item characteristics and data quality were examined. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega. Dimensional structure was evaluated with exploratory factor analysis (EFA) based on a polychoric correlation matrix and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) comparing one-factor, four-factor, and bifactor models. Convergent validity was examined using Spearman’s rank correlations with BMI and linear regression analyses with BMI z-scores. Results: The global score showed high internal consistency (α = 0.898; ω = 0.900). Subscale reliability ranged from acceptable to high. EFA supported a multidimensional solution. In CFA, the bifactor model showed the best fit among the tested alternatives (CFI = 0.742; TLI = 0.681; RMSEA = 0.122; SRMR = 0.084), but none of the tested models achieved fully satisfactory absolute fit. The global score correlated positively with BMI (rho = 0.282; p < 0.001) and was significantly associated with BMI z-score in regression analysis (B = 0.334; p < 0.001). Conclusions: The Polish ChEDE-Q global score demonstrated strong internal consistency and preliminary BMI-related convergent validity. The findings provide initial support for a general factor and for using the global score in screening-oriented research; however, the pilot character of the study and the suboptimal absolute fit indices indicate that further validation in larger and more heterogeneous samples is required. Read More