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The branched eating disorders test: Validity in a nonclinical population
Author(s) -
Selzer Rob,
Hamill Cheryl,
Bowes Glenn,
Patton George
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-108x(199607)20:1<57::aid-eat7>3.0.co;2-3
Subject(s) - eating disorders , psychology , psychiatry , clinical psychology , population , test (biology) , test validity , predictive value , psychometrics , medicine , environmental health , paleontology , biology
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. © 1996 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.