Propiedades psicométricas del Test de Actitudes Alimentarias (EAT- 26) en una muestra no clínica de adolescentes

The aim of this investigation was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Eating Attitude Test-26 (EAT-26) in a sample of high school students without clinical diagnosis for eating disorders. The sample was constituted by 1,337 students (n = 604 men, n = 733 women) between 14 and 20 years old (x = 15.93 SD = 1.07). The EAT-26 was applied in nine schools distributed in all the Tijuana delegations. The participants filled out the scale during the academic schedule at school. Results showed that the current version of the instrument has an internal consistency of α = .82. Unlike the original scale -which comprises four factors-, the current version presented a structure of seven factors that explain 55.78% of the total variance. These factors were: concern about food (α = .82), diet (α = .69), bulimia (α = .60), anorexia (α = .58), perceived social pressure (α = .60), binge eating (α = .55), and behavior towards food (α = .31). It can be concluded that the EAT-26, in its Spanish version, has good psychometric properties and it is useful for evaluating the risk of eating disorders in Tijuana adolescents.