Dimensionality of three versions of the eating disorder inventory in adolescent girls

• Published in: European eating disorders review Vol. 18; no. 4; pp. 318 - 327
• Main Authors: García-Grau, Eugeni, Fusté, Adela, Mas, Natàlia, Gómez, Juana, Bados, Arturo, Saldaña, Carmina
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Chichester, UK John Wiley & Sons, Ltd 01-07-2010; John Wiley and Sons, Limited
• Subjects: Adolescent; adolescent girls; Chi-Square Distribution; dimensionality; Discriminant analysis; Eating Disorder Inventory; Eating disorders; Factor Analysis, Statistical; factor structure; Feeding and Eating Disorders - diagnosis; Female; Girls; Humans; Measurement; prevention; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychometrics; Surveys and Questionnaires; Teenagers
• ISSN: 1072-4133; 1099-0968
• DOI: 10.1002/erv.995

Objectives
To analyze the dimensionality of three versions of the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) in adolescent girls.
Method
The sample comprised 738 participants. The Spanish adaptation of the EDI‐2 was used. The EDI‐2 contains the 64 items of EDI and has the same items as EDI‐3. The dimensional structures hypothesized by Garner for the three EDI versions were assessed via a series of Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFAs).
Results
The CFA did not confirm Garner's proposed structure in any of the three versions. Consequently it was decided to perform Exploratory Factor Analyses (EFA) of the EDI‐2 and the EDI‐3 to try to indentify the underlying structure. The best theoretical and empirical fit was provided by a 7‐factor structure.
Discussion
This article presents a shortened version of the EDI‐2 which may prove more suitable for use with adolescent girls in the general population than the original questionnaire. Certain practical suggestions for optimizing the use of the different versions of the EDI are also presented. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.