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The interrater reliability of physical signs in patients with eating disorders
Author(s) -
Tyler Ingrid,
Birmingham C. Laird
Publication year - 2001
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/eat.1094
Subject(s) - kappa , inter rater reliability , bulimia nervosa , eating disorders , anorexia nervosa , cohen's kappa , psychology , psychiatry , medicine , developmental psychology , statistics , philosophy , linguistics , rating scale , mathematics
Abstract Objective To evaluate the interrater reliability of five common signs of eating disorders. Methods Eating disorder patients with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and eating disorders not otherwise specified (ED‐NOS), at various stages of recovery, were evaluated for the presence or absence of lanugo hair, acrocyanosis, parotid hypertrophy, hypercarotinemia, and Russell's sign. Patients were examined by two physicians with similar experience and training. Results are analyzed for reliability using the kappa statistic (κ). Results Kappa scores were as follows, indicating marginal reproducibility of results: lanugo hair (κ = 0.606), acrocyanosis (κ = 0.014), parotid hypertrophy (κ = 0.266), hypercarotinemia (κ = 0.101) , and Russell's sign (κ = 0.140). Conclusion The interrater reliability for individual items ranged from poor to moderate. Overall, there is marginal interrater reliability for the five common signs of eating disorders assessed. © 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 30: 343–345, 2001.