Adaptation and validation of the Spanish version of the DOS questionnaire for the detection of orthorexic nervosa behavior

Abstract

Introduction Orthorexia nervosa, a term used to describe an obsession with healthy eating, has been shown to have major health implications for those affected. The aim of this study was to validate a Spanish version of the Düsseldorfer Ortorexie Skala (DOS), a questionnaire for the detection of orthorexic behavior. Methods A cross-sectional study comprising a total sample of 492 Spanish participants recruited from the University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, and randomly divided into two groups. The following tools were applied: The DOS and the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI-2). The factorial structures were analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factorial analysis. Results The internal consistency of the DOS-ES was α = .841. The exploratory factor analysis has revealed the existence of a single factor with factor loadings ranging from .508 to .802. A confirmatory factor analysis was applied to the second half of the random sample in order to confirm the factor solution. Conclusion The Spanish adaptation of the DOS-ES is proven to be a reliable and valid questionnaire for evaluating the obsessive tendency towards healthy eating among university students.