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Arabic translation and psychometric testing of the prenatal eating behaviors screening tool
John Paul Ben Silang1,2, Fathima Minisha3,4, Hayat Qassim A-Hajjaji5
1Department of Research, Women's Wellness and Research Center, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, Qatar. jsilang@hamad.qa.
Insights
The Arabic version of the Prenatal Eating Behaviors Screening (PEBS) tool shows good reliability and validity for detecting eating disorders in pregnant women. This aids in improving maternal and child health outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Obstetrics and Gynecology
- Psychiatry
- Public Health
Background:
- Eating disorders (ED) during pregnancy pose risks to maternal and offspring health.
- Early detection and intervention are crucial for adverse outcomes.
- The Prenatal Eating Behaviors Screening (PEBS) tool aids in identifying ED during gestation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To translate the PEBS tool into Arabic (PEBS-Arabic).
- To assess the psychometric properties, including validity and reliability, of the PEBS-Arabic.
- To establish a culturally adapted screening tool for eating disorders in pregnant Arab populations.
Main Methods:
- The PEBS tool was translated into Arabic using the forward-backward translation method.
- 116 pregnant women completed the PEBS-Arabic questionnaire.
- Content validity was assessed using the content validity index (CVI), and reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha. Construct validity was tested via confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis (CFA & EFA).
Main Results:
- The PEBS-Arabic demonstrated excellent content validity (item-CVI and scale-CVI of 1.00).
- Overall reliability was good, with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.77.
- Factor analysis supported the construct validity, with items loading appropriately onto factors related to bulimia and anorexia.
Conclusions:
- PEBS-Arabic is the first validated Arabic version of this pregnancy-specific ED screening tool.
- The tool exhibits good reliability and validity for use in Arabic-speaking pregnant populations.
- This validated tool facilitates the detection and understanding of ED prevalence in pregnancy, aiming to enhance maternal and child well-being.
Background:
Early detection and treatment of eating behavioral problems among pregnant women are essential due to the associated adverse impact on pregnancy and the health of the offspring. Prenatal Eating Behaviors Screening (PEBS) tool, a 12-item self-administered questionnaire, can be used to screen for eating disorders (ED) during pregnancy. This study performed an Arabic translation of PEBS and a psychometric analysis to determine its validity and reliability.
Methods:
The standard forward-backward translation method was used to generate PEBS-Arabic. The 12-item Likert scale questionnaire was completed by 116 antenatal women in the tertiary maternity care hospital in Qatar. Content validity was determined by the content validity index (CVI) using input from five experts. Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha, and confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis (CFA & EFA) to test construct validity. The correlations between PEBS-Arabic scores and maternal characteristics were explored.
Results:
The mean total PEBS score in the cohort was 16.3 (± 5.2), with nulliparity and higher educational level resulting in statistically significantly higher mean scores. The PEBS-Arabic had a very good item-CVI and scale-CVI of 1.00. The overall Cronbach's alpha was 0.77, which demonstrated good and acceptable reliability. The CFA using a single-factor solution showed an acceptable correlation for most items. In the EFA, a two-factor solution resulted in most items loading accurately into the pre-determined factors (bulimia and anorexia) with acceptable correlations.
Conclusion:
The PEBS-Arabic is the first translated version of this pregnancy-specific screening tool for ED. This tool demonstrates good reliability, content and construct validity. This study is a valuable step towards understanding and detecting the prevalence and determinants of ED in pregnancy, with the aim of improving maternal, fetal and child health.
