Eating disorders in childhood and adolescence

Since eating disorders in childhood and adolescence have increased significantly, their early identification is of importance. Besides the "typical" eating disorders, there are a number of eating disturbances that typically present in middle childhood, characterized by avoidance or restriction of intake, that are not currently classified in the DSM-IV system. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the occurrence of these disturbances in a general, school-based population, and to report psychometric properties of a brief self-report screening questionnaire assessing avoidant or restrictive food intake. A total of 730 children aged 8-13 years were assessed with the Eating Disturbances in Childhood-Questionnaire (EDCh-Q). Altogether, 29.8 % of the children reported avoidant or restrictive eating behavior. Item characteristics were overall favourable. The four-factorial solution was replicated, however, with poor internal consistencies of the subscales. Underweight children reported more symptoms of food avoidance emotional disorder (FAED). Avoidant or restrictive eating behavior is common in school-aged children. The EDCh-Q is a diagnostically orientated screening questionnaire to identify these eating disturbances in middle childhood. A larger study is warranted to validate the EDCh-Q in community and clinical samples.