The Diabetes Eating Problem Survey-Revised (DEPS-R) in a Greek Adult Population with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus: Model Comparison Supporting a Single Factor Structure

Abstract

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) patients occasionally develop disordered eating behaviors, leading to insulin manipulation without medical consultation, targeting to achieve weight control. In clinical practice, the Diabetes Eating Problem Survey-Revised Version (DEPS-R) questionnaire has been used to evaluate eating disorders in T1DM patients. This study was conducted to validate the factor structure of the Greek version of DEPS-R using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), to investigate its reliability and convergent validity in Greek T1DM adults and to compare a single factor DEPS-R model with multiple factor models. Participants were 103 T1DM adults receiving insulin, who responded to DEPS-R. Their anthropometric, biochemical and clinical history data were evaluated. The sample presented good glycemic control and 30.1% scored above the established DEPS-R cut-off score for disturbed eating behavior. CFA results revealed that the data fit well to the factor models. The DEPS-R scale had good reliability and was positively linked to BMI, HbA1c, total daily dose and time in range. Model comparison supported the superiority of the 1-factor model, implying that Greek clinicians and practitioners might not have to consider individualized treatment based on various scores across different subscales but they can adopt a single DEPS-R score for an easy and efficient screening for disordered eating.