Psychometric characteristics of Spanish adaptation of a Test for Bulimia (BULIT)

The high prevalence of bulimia nervosa among eating disorders and limited repertoire of assessment tools available for these disorders in Spanish have resulted in special interest regarding the adaptation of a specific instrument such as the Bulimia Test (BULIT).

A total of 119 outpatients, most of them women (97.5%) seen in a community mental health center, were assessed with the Spanish adaptation of the Bulimia Test (BULIT) and by Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-40). Reliability (internal consistency and temporal reliability) and validity (convergent and discriminant) were studied.

Cronbach's alpha coefficient (alpha: 0.93) shows high internal consistency while the temporal reliability is supported by the high correlation observed (r=0.83) between applications conducted in an interval of 8-10 weeks. In relationship with convergent validity, moderate correlations were observed with the global score on EAT (r=0.38) and substantial correlation with the EAT Bulimia subscale (r=0.69). By using an 88 cutoff on the BULIT, the test properly classified 90% of the bulimic subjects and 100% of those without eating disorder.

The results firmly supported the reliability and validity of this Spanish adaptation, stressing its utility as a screening device to detect current or incipient cases of bulimia and to assess severity of bulimic symptoms.