Evaluation of Eating Difficulties Assessment Measures in Clinical Practice and Epidemiological Surveys

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the accuracy of low-cost self-completion questionnaires in identifying eating disorder symptoms compared to detailed clinical interviews and specialist assessments. The study focuses on adults referred to specialist eating disorder services, aiming to develop reliable tools for diagnosing common eating disorders like anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge-eating disorder. This research responds to the priority need for better measurement methods recognized by healthcare professionals, patients, and caregivers. Participants will complete the Schedules for Clinical Assessment in Neuropsychiatry version 3 section 9 (SCANv3s9) semi-structured interview and two self-completion measures: the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire Short-Form (EDE-QS) and the SCOFF questionnaire. The study includes an initial assessment phase with 100 adults and a retesting phase with 25 participants to check reliability. The SCAN items cover symptoms over the past 4 weeks and the preceding 11 months. During the study, participants will undergo interviews lasting 60 to 84 minutes and fill out questionnaires taking just a few minutes each. Researchers will compare findings from these tools to clinician diagnoses and analyze agreement levels, sensitivity, and specificity. A subset will repeat assessments to measure consistency. The study helps establish benchmarks for diagnosing eating disorders in clinical and community settings, with participation lasting as needed for initial and retest evaluations.

Adult Eating Disorder Assessment Study