Children's eating attitudes test: validation in a sample of Spanish schoolchildren.

Objective: To validate the Spanish version of the Children's Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT).
Method: The factor structure and other psychometric characteristics of the questionnaire were examined using the answers of 38,554 schoolchildren. Diagnostic efficiency was based on a standardized clinical interview of 968 schoolchildren who had previously completed the questionnaire.
Results: Five factors ("preoccupation with thinness," "dieting," "social pressure to eat," "purging," and "preoccupation with food and oral control") explained 46% of the variance. Cronbach's α was .858 for the total scale. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was .851. Sensitivity (SE) was 27% and specificity (SP) 96% for a cut-off of 20. A more appropriate cut-off was 15, where SE and SP were 62% and 90% respectively, and the positive and negative predictive values 27 and 98%.
Discussion: The ChEAT psychometric characteristics are adequate. The questionnaire is valid. A cut-off point of 15 is recommended for adolescents.
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