Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q): An Initial Trial in Spanish Male Undergraduates

Background: Most studies on the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) focus exclusively on women. Aims: To examine the internal consistency and convergent validity of the EDE-Q in Spanish undergraduate men and to compare the results with those obtained previously in college samples of Spanish women and American men. Methods: 269 college men, aged 18-30 years, answered the EDE-Q, Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI-2), and Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ). Results: The four subscale scores and the global score of the EDE-Q achieved acceptable internal consistency (α ≥ .65), and evidence on convergent validity with EDI-2 and BSQ was obtained ( r ≥ .41). Average scores, standard deviations, and percentile ranks for the raw EDE-Q subscales and data on the occurrence of binge eating and compensatory behaviors are presented. Most values were lower than those found in previous studies with Spanish undergraduate women and American undergraduate men. Discussion: Lower scores in EDE-Q subscales provide country differences between Spain and United States and support the existence of gender differences in eating disorders attitudes. These data should help clinicians and researchers to interpret the EDE-Q scores of college men in Spain.