Concurrent validity of the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Questionnaire on Eating and Weight Patterns-5 (QEWP-5) in the general population.

The Questionnaire on Eating and Weight Patterns-5 is a self-report instrument developed for the screening of Binge Eating Disorder (BED) and Bulimia Nervosa (BN) according to DSM-5. The present study aimed to examine the concurrent validity of the Brazilian version of QEWP-5 to assess BED and BN in the general population. The Brazilian version of QEWP-5 was administered to 2297 subjects, aged from 18 to 60 years. All screen-positive and a subset of screen-negative participants were also interviewed by telephone using the eating disorders (ED) module of Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV - Patients Version (SCID-I-P) for the assessment of BED, BN, and their subthreshold forms. For the assessment of BED, the sensitivity of QEWP-5 was 0.41 and its specificity was 0.90. The positive and negative predictive values were 0.48 and 0.87, respectively. Regarding the assessment of BN, QEWP-5 showed a sensitivity of 0.56, a specificity of 0.90, a positive predictive value of 0.35, and a negative predictive value of 0.95. For the global screening of ED (BED, BN, and subthreshold forms), QEWP-5 showed a sensitivity of 0.71, a specificity of 0.83, a positive predictive value of 0.64 and a negative predictive value of 0.87. QEWP-5 can be a useful instrument for the initial screening of diagnostic threshold ED psychopathology in general population samples. However, it has less utility in identifying cases of BED and BN independently.

Reliability of the Brazilian version of the questionnaire on eating and weight patterns-5 (QEWP-5).

PURPOSE: The Questionnaire on Eating and Weight Patterns-5 (QEWP-5) is a self-report instrument developed to screen individuals for binge eating disorder (BED) and bulimia nervosa (BN) as diagnosed by the DSM-5. This instrument was cross-culturally adapted for the Brazilian Portuguese and well understood by the target sample. The present study aimed to assess the test-retest reliability of the Brazilian version of QEWP-5 in a sample of undergraduate students from Dietitian and Psychology courses. METHODS: The Brazilian version of QEWP-5 was administered to a sample of 345 male and female undergraduate students, from dietitian (n = 179) and psychology (n = 166) courses. The instrument was applied twice with a time interval of 2 weeks between the applications. The kappa coefficient was used to assess the temporal stability of the questionnaire in the screening of BED and BN. RESULTS: Overall, the kappa coefficient for the screening of BED was .48, and for the screening of BN was .71. In the dietitian course, the temporal stability was .60 (for the assessment of BED) and .80 (for BN). In the psychology course, the kappa values for the assessment of BED and BN were .27 and .60, respectively. All values were statistically significant (p < .001). CONCLUSION: In general, the stability of the Brazilian version of QEWP-5 was considered moderate to assess BED and substantial for the screening of BN in undergraduate students. Stratifying by course, the questionnaire had higher stability for the assessment of BED and BN in dietitian students. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V, descriptive study.

Assessment of interpersonal skills in obese women with binge eating disorder.

Based upon interpersonal theory that suggests an association between binge eating disorder (BED) and interpersonal problems, the present study examined empathy and other social skills of obese women with BED. The findings showed that five social skills were statistically associated with the chance of presenting BED. Obese women with less assertiveness, lower ability to express feelings, lower capacity to deal with strangers, lower ability to understand the perspective of others, and with higher levels of distress in interpersonal situations had a higher probability of presenting the diagnosis of BED. These results highlight an association between social skills deficits and BED.

Assessment of executive functions in obese individuals with binge eating disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess executive functions of obese individuals with binge eating disorder. METHOD: Thirty-eight obese individuals with binge eating disorder were compared to thirty-eight obese controls without binge eating disorder in terms of their executive functions. All individuals were assessed using the following instruments: Digit Span, Trail Making Tests A and B, Stroop Test and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. In addition, four subtests from the Behavioral Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome Battery were also used, namely the Zoo Map Test, the Modified Six Elements Test, the Action Program Test and the Rule Shift Cards Test. RESULTS: When compared to obese controls, obese individuals with binge eating disorder presented significant impairment in the following tests: Digit Span backward, Zoo Map Test, Modified Six Elements Test, and Action Program Test. Subjects with binge eating disorder also showed significant more set shifting and perseverative errors in the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test. In other measures such as the Digit Span Forward, the Trail Making Test, the Stroop Test and the Rule Shift Cards Test, obese subjects with binge eating disorder did not differ significantly from obese subjects without binge eating disorder. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that, in the present sample, obese individuals with binge eating disorder presented executive deficits, especially impairments relating to problem-solving, cognitive flexibility and working memory.

Prevalence of binge eating and associated factors in a Brazilian probability sample of midlife women.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of binge eating (BE) and inappropriate behaviors of weight control in a population sample of Brazilian midlife adult women and to correlate the prevalence of BE with self-rated health (SRH). METHOD: A household sample of 1,298 females aged 35 years or older answered a face-to-face interview including questions on eating behaviors and had their weight and height measured. RESULTS: The prevalence of regular BE (twice or more episodes by week) and inappropriate methods of weight control was 11.5 and 10.2%, respectively. BE episodes were positively correlated with BMI and negatively correlated with age and SRH. These correlations persisted when mutually adjusted by BMI, age, and SRH. CONCLUSION: These findings show the relevance of BE on the overall health of women of this age group and emphasize the need for expanding research on eating disorders to beyond the populations more frequently assessed of teenagers and young adults.