Psychometric evaluation of the Eating Disorders in Youth-Questionnaire when used in adults: Prevalence estimates for symptoms of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder and population norms.

OBJECTIVE

Restrictive eating behaviors occur across ages, but little is known about symptoms of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID), especially in adults. This study sought to examine the prevalence of symptoms of ARFID in the adult population, providing a psychometric evaluation of the Eating Disorders in Youth-Questionnaire (EDY-Q) and population norms.

METHOD: In a representative survey of the German population, N = 2,424 adults (1,297 women, 1,127 men; age 49.5 ± 17.5 years) were assessed with the EDY-Q and measures of eating disorder and general psychopathology for divergent validation.

RESULTS

The point prevalence of self-reported symptoms of ARFID amounted to 0.8% (20/2,424), with 0.8% of women (10/1,297) and 0.9% of men (10/1,127) being affected. Adults with symptoms of ARFID were significantly more likely to have underweight or normal weight, were more likely to report restrictive behaviors and lower levels of eating disorder psychopathology and binge eating than noneating-disordered controls and adults with symptoms of an eating disorder, but did not significantly differ in levels of compensatory behaviors, or depression and anxiety. The EDY-Q revealed favorable item statistics, heterogeneity, and satisfactory construct validity, including factorial, discriminant, and divergent validity. Weight-status specific norms were provided.

DISCUSSION: Both women and men from the population reported symptoms of ARFID with an anthropometric and psychopathological profile similar to that seen in youth with symptoms of ARFID, however, with lower prevalence estimates, and distinctive from that in other eating disorders. Interview-based assessment of this symptomatology is required to confirm the prevalence of ARFID diagnosis.