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Validating the Danish version of the Eating Disorder Quality of Life Scale (EDQLS) in anorexia nervosa

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Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this study was to explore the factor structure of the Danish translation of the eating disorder quality of life scale and evaluate the internal reliability and convergent validity of the scale in a Danish cohort of women with AN.

Methods

The total sample comprised 211 patients diagnosed with anorexia nervosa age 13–40 years. Patients completed questionnaires assessing eating disorder psychopathology, physical and social functioning, and well-being.

Results

Factor analyses were not able to support the current division of the scale into 12 factors. We found excellent internal consistency of the eating disorder quality-of-life scale total score. We found relevant associations between quality of life and pre-determined variables.

Conclusion

This study supports the use of the total score of the eating disorder quality of life scale in assessing quality of life in patients with anorexia nervosa. However, future studies should explore the factor structure of the scale further.

Level of evidence

III: Evidence obtained from cohort or case-control analytic studies.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge and thank Gisele Marcoux-Louie, MSc, Alberta Health Services, Canada, as the co-developer and author of the eating disorder quality of life scale (EDQLS). Furthermore, we wish to thank all the participants and staff for helping us obtain the data. Finally, we wish to thank Pia Veldt Larsen, OPEN, Odense University Hospital, for her enormous help with the statistical analyses.

Funding

The study was funded by the Jascha Fund Denmark and the Psychiatric Fund of Region Southern Denmark.

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Correspondence to Laura Al-Dakhiel Winkler.

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Conflict of interest

The author declare that they have no competing interest.

Ethical approval

The project was approved by the Danish Data Protection Agency, File no. 17/3218. The Regional Committees on Health Research Ethics for Southern Denmark approved the project.

Informed consent

Patients (or guardian) gave informed consent upon survey invitation.

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Winkler, L.AD., Arnfred, S.M.H., Larsen, P.V. et al. Validating the Danish version of the Eating Disorder Quality of Life Scale (EDQLS) in anorexia nervosa. Eat Weight Disord 27, 1717–1728 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-021-01310-5

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