R Selzer1, C Hamill, G Bowes, G Patton. 1. Centre for Adolescent Health, Royal Children's Hospital, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To develop an effective measure of the symptoms of eating disorders for use in community surveys. METHOD: A branched eating disorders instrument for administration by notebook computer was evaluated as a screen in 487 teenage schoolgirls. High scorers and a stratified sample of low scorers were evaluated in a second-stage interview with the Eating Disorders Examination (EDE). RESULTS: The Branched Eating Disorders Test (BET) proved to have exceptional validity coefficients (sensitivity 100%, specificity 99%, positive predictive value 70%). DISCUSSION: This pilot validation suggests that the BET largely overcomes the problems of earlier instruments of limited screening utility when applied to community samples.
OBJECTIVE: To develop an effective measure of the symptoms of eating disorders for use in community surveys. METHOD: A branched eating disorders instrument for administration by notebook computer was evaluated as a screen in 487 teenage schoolgirls. High scorers and a stratified sample of low scorers were evaluated in a second-stage interview with the Eating Disorders Examination (EDE). RESULTS: The Branched Eating Disorders Test (BET) proved to have exceptional validity coefficients (sensitivity 100%, specificity 99%, positive predictive value 70%). DISCUSSION: This pilot validation suggests that the BET largely overcomes the problems of earlier instruments of limited screening utility when applied to community samples.
Authors: Michelle Anne Tollit; Carmen C Pace; Michelle Telfer; Monsurul Hoq; Janet Bryson; Nicholas Fulkoski; Charlie Cooper; Ken C Pang Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2019-11-04 Impact factor: 2.692