The Eating Disorder Inventory in the screening for DSM-5 binge eating disorder

Abstract

Background: We assessed whether the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) is suitable for screening binge eating disorder (BED) in young women.

Method: Young women (N=2825) from the 1975-79 birth cohorts of Finnish twins were assessed by questionnaires, including subscales of the EDI. For a subset of women (N=548), we established DSM-5 diagnoses of BED; 16 women had lifetime BED. We compared screening properties of the EDI scales using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, determined optimal cutoff points, and calculated sensitivities and specificities.

Results: The best screen for DSM-5 BED was the global score of three subscales (Bulimia, Drive for Thinness, Body Dissatisfaction) with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.86. Its sensitivity was 87% and specificity 76% at cutoff ≥21. Three individual subscales had acceptable screening properties: Bulimia (AUC 0.83; sensitivity 80%, specificity 78% at cutoff ≥2), Drive For Thinness (AUC 0.82; sensitivity 87%, specificity 72% at cutoff ≥7), and Body Dissatisfaction (AUC 0.81; sensitivity 93%, specificity 60% at cutoff ≥8).

Conclusion: The EDI performed well as a screening tool for BED in our community-based sample of young twin women. Future studies should assess its value in other populations and in clinical settings.

Keywords: Binge eating disorder; Community-based study; Eating Disorder Inventory; Screening; Sensitivity and specificity.