Performance and expenditure in Italian public healthcare organizations: does expenditure influence performance?

This paper analyses the effect of expenditure on the performance of Italian healthcare organizations. The authors looked at variations in spending and performance measures over 12 years across Italy. Their results show an improvement in performance over time, regardless of changes in total expenditure. This paper provides empirical evidence that performance in Italian public healthcare organizations is only marginally influenced by changes in public spending on healthcare. IMPACT Simply increasing public spending does not necessarily result in improved service performance. This paper looks at the Italian healthcare sector and shows that policy-makers need to pay more attention to the other variables that affect healthcare performance if they want to see improvements. The design and regulation of the healthcare system at both national and regional levels and the way healthcare organizations are actually managed must be looked at if any change in spending is proposed

Many Facets of Eating Disorders: Profiling Key Psychological Features of Anorexia Nervosa and Binge Eating Disorder

Objective. The present study employs a profile analysis to identify and compare psychological features and core eating disorder (ED) symptoms in clinical samples of patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and binge eating disorder (BED) and the general population (GP). Methods. A sample comprising 421 participants (142 patients with AN; 139 patients with BED; and 140 participants from the GP) was surveyed with the Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI-3). Individuals with AN and BED were recruited and tested during their first week of a multidisciplinary inpatient program for weight loss and rehabilitation at the ‘Rete DCA USL Umbria 1′ (Eating Disorders Services), Italy. Results. The findings suggest distinct patterns of symptom presentation between the three samples across all the EDI-3 dimensions—with both the AN and BED groups scoring significantly higher than the GP. Patients with AN registered greater scores in all the psychological trait scales and the drive for thinness ED-specific dimension of the EDI-3 compared with their BED counterpart—which, instead, scored higher in the bulimia and body dissatisfaction subscales. These data support the transdiagnostic nature of the main risk factors for the onset and maintenance of EDs—which would vary in severity levels—and the existence of disease-specific pathways giving rise to AN and BED. Conclusion. This study for the first time compares patients with AN and BED with a non-clinical sample on main ED psychological features. This might inform classification approaches and could have important implications for the development of prevention and early intervention programs

Correction to: Evaluation of the reliability and validity of the Italian version of the schema mode inventory for eating disorders-short form for adults with dysfunctional eating behaviors (Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity, (2019), 10.1007/s40519-019-00644-5)

The article Evaluation of the reliability and validity of the Italian versionof the schema mode inventory for eating disorders:

Drunkorexia: Empirical investigation and analysis of the characteristics of the phenomenon in an Italian sample of adolescents and young adults

The term drunkorexia refers to the act of self-imposed utilization of extreme weight control methods to compensate for alcohol consumption typically observed among university students. Despite its diffusion, there is a lack of research investigating the presence of this new alarming trend in Italy. Aim: this study estimates the frequency of drunkorexia behaviours in a sample of Italian youth aged 14-24, explores the motivations for alcohol consumption among those presenting drunkorexia-type behaviours, and examines the relationship between drunkorexia and disordered eating. Methods: drunkorexia behaviors, eating habits and motives for alcohol use were investigated in 403 subjects (F=301, M=102) aged 14-24 through self-report questionnaires. A series of analyses, including descriptive statistics, univariate analysis of the variance and multiple regressions were run. Results: 62.5% of the sample showed drunkorexia-type behaviours. Drunkorexia was related to disordered eating, especially among females older than eighteen. Discussion and Conclusions: this the first study investigating the incidence of drunkorexia behaviors in a sample of youth living in Northern Italy. Evidence-based interventions for eating disorders and drinking problems should inspire the development of ad hoc preventive and treatment actions for drunkorexia

Evaluation of the reliability and validity of the Italian version of the schema mode inventory for eating disorders: short form for adults with dysfunctional eating behaviors

Purpose: To examine the psychometric properties and the factorial structure of the Italian version of the schema mode inventory for eating disorders—short form (SMI-ED-SF) for adults with dysfunctional eating patterns. Methods: 649 participants (72.1% females) completed the 64-item Italian version of the SMI-ED-SF and the eating disorder examination questionnaire (EDE-Q) for measuring eating disorder symptoms. Psychometric testing included confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and internal consistency. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was also run to test statistical differences between the EDE-Q subscales on the SMI-ED-SF modes, while controlling for possible confounding variables. Results: Factorial analysis confirmed the 16-factors structure for the SMI-ED-SF [S–Bχ2 (1832) = 3324.799; p <.001; RMSEA = 0.045; 90% CI 0.043–0.048; CFI = 0.880; SRMR = 0.066; χ2/df = 1.81; < 3]. Internal consistency was acceptable in all scales, with Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients ranging from 0.635 to 0.873. Conclusions: The SMI-ED-SF represents a reliable and valid alternative to the long-form SMI-ED for assessment and conceptualization of schema modes in Italian adults with disordered eating habits. Its use is recommended for clinical and research purposes. Level of evidence: Level V, descriptive study