Cultural Adaptation of an Eating Disorders Measure for South Asian American Women

Available eating disorder (ED) assessments do not adequately capture cultural nuances in eating psychopathology presentations in South Asians (SAs). The current study describes the cultural adaptation process of the Eating Disorder Examination-Questionnaire (EDE-Q) for SA American women to enhance its validity, applicability, and cultural relevance for this underserved group. The research team consulted with participant experts (N = 24) and research experts (n = 4) to create the modified measure. Some items were changed to include SA references; others were added to assess culturally specific body image and eating pressures, such as colorism and religious fasting. Notable feedback from participant and research experts that was incorporated into this measure included: separating weight and shape items, changing the response format of the behavioral frequencies, and incorporating items assessing subjective binge eating episodes. This new measure - the EDE-Q-South Asian American Women (EDE-Q-SAAW) - included 53 items prior to psychometric validation. To the best of our knowledge, few - if any - previous cultural adaptations of ED measures have added new items to tap into culturally influenced constructs that likely impact ED presentations. Ultimately, this tool can enhance understanding of the nature, presentation, and cultural variation of EDs in SAs. This study is also one of the first to demonstrate how other clinical scientists can culturally adapt measures without translation.