Convergent validity of the eating disorder examination and the eating disorder examination-questionnaire among university women in Norway

Abstract

The present study compared the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE; 16.0) and the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q; 6.0) and investigated the psychometric properties of the Norwegian translation of the EDE. Fifty-eight university women aged 19-41 years (mean BMI = 23) were assessed with the EDE and EDE-Q. Satisfactory internal consistency and inter-rater reliability were demonstrated for the Norwegian translation of the EDE. Generally high convergent validity between the EDE and EDE-Q was found, with correlations ranging from 0.60 (Eating Concern) to 0.86 (Weight Concern). Agreement for OBEs and vomiting were excellent, while driven exercising generated lower levels of convergence. Consistent with prior studies, the EDE-Q generated significantly higher levels of psychopathology, although effect sizes were small. Owing to the significantly higher EDE-Q scores, it is ill advised to administer these two instruments interchangeably, as this may fail to produce meaningful data.