Child eating disorder examination (ChEDE) interview and child eating disorder examination questionnaire (ChEDE-Q): psychometric properties of the Italian versions

Purpose To examine the psychometric characteristics of the Italian language versions of the child eating disorder examination (ChEDE) interview and child eating disorder examination questionnaire (ChEDE-Q). Methods ChEDE (from EDE 17th edition) and ChEDE-Q were first translated, and then administered to 147 patients with eating disorders under the age of 18, along with 80 age-matched controls. Their internal consistency (Cronbach alpha), inter-rater reliability (Spearman rho), short-term (7–23 days) test–retest reliability (Spearman rho), and criterion validity (group differences by Mann–Whitney U) were evaluated. Results Patients with eating disorders displayed significantly higher ChEDE/ChEDE-Q scores than age-matched controls, demonstrating the adequate criterion validity of the instrument (all subscales and global scores significant at p < 0.001). Internal consistency was high for all original ChEDE/ChEDE-Q subscales (minimum Cronbach alpha 0.752), apart from Eating Concerns (minimum Cronbach alpha 0.591). Inter-rater reliability was excellent for global ChEDE/ChEDE-Q scores and each subscale (minimum Spearman rho 0.999). Test–retest reliability was excellent for global ChEDE/ChEDE-Q scores and each subscale (minimum Spearman rho 0.791). Conclusions The Italian versions of the ChEDE interview and ChEDE-Q exhibited excellent psychometric properties and may, therefore, be recommended for the assessment of Italian patients with eating disorders less than 18 years old, both in clinical practice and research settings. Level of evidence III evidence obtained from cohort or case–control analytic studies.