2025/11/18 by Emine Zahide Özdemir, Murat Bektaş, Pelin Ergün · 1 voice
Medicine · #Celiac Disease Research and Management #Gastrointestinal motility and disorders #Microscopic Colitis
paper · doi:10.1111/jhn.70167
openalex publication_date 2025/11/18 · openalex created_date 2025/11/19 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
PURPOSE: Coeliac disease is a chronic autoimmune condition that significantly impairs health and quality of life if not managed through strict dietary adherence. Given that existing adherence assessment tools are primarily designed for adults, a child-focused, noninvasive scale is needed to accurately evaluate gluten-free diet compliance in the paediatric population. This study aimed to evaluate the Turkish psychometric properties of an adapted Gluten-Free Diet Adherence Survey originally designed for adults but modified for children aged 9-18 years with coeliac disease. METHODS: A cross-sectional, methodological study was conducted with 211 children aged 9-18 years recruited from coeliac associations in Izmir and Istanbul. An expert panel simplified the language of the original adult survey, and a pilot study confirmed its readability and comprehension among children. The validation process employed exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, internal consistency reliability assessments (Cronbach's α) and response bias evaluations. RESULTS: Children (mean age 11.95 ± 2.87) achieved an average adherence score of 20 (range: 7-35), indicating moderate compliance with notable barriers to complete adherence. Furthermore, 45% of the participants maintained a gluten-free diet for 5-10 years, highlighting long-term sustainability. Factor loadings ranged from 0.40 to 0.75, and the scale demonstrated excellent model-data fit indices along with acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.797). CONCLUSION: The adapted Gluten-Free Diet Adherence Survey is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing dietary compliance in Turkish children with coeliac disease, underscoring the need for targeted interventions to enhance adherence and improve clinical outcomes.