Secret Patterns: Validation of a Screening Tool to Detect Bulimia
- 1 December 1999
- journal article
- Published by Mary Ann Liebert Inc in Journal of Women's Health & Gender-Based Medicine
- Vol. 8 (10) , 1281-1284
- https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.1.1999.8.1281
Abstract
We prospectively validated a two-item screening tool for bulimia. Subjects recruited from a women's health practice completed the previously developed two-item screening tool ("Do you ever eat in secret?" and "Are you satisfied with your eating patterns?") at their initial office visit. This was validated against a telephone interview with a licensed psychologist. The prevalence of current bulimia was 16% in 75 subjects, determined by psychologists' assessment (sensitivity 75%, specificity 49%) and 4% by DSM-III-R criteria. The positive and negative predictive values of one screening question positive were 22% and 91%, respectively, when compared with the psychologists' assessments as the gold standard. This screening tool allows physicians to identify patients who warrant further valuation for bulimia.Keywords
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