Reliability of the Eating Disorder Examination in patients with binge eating disorder

TLDR

The study examined the interrater and test‑retest reliabilities of the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) in patients with binge eating disorder (BED). Eighteen BED patients were assessed in two groups, with interrater and short‑term (6–14 days) test‑retest reliability of the EDE measured. Interrater reliability was excellent for objective bulimic episodes and days (r > 0.98) and very good for EDE scales (r = 0.65–0.96); test‑retest reliability was very good for objective episodes and days (r = 0.70–0.71) and good for scales (r = 0.50–0.88), while subjective episodes showed excellent interrater but unacceptable test‑retest reliability, supporting the EDE’s overall reliability for BED. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.; Int J Eat Disord 35:80–85, 2004.

Abstract

Abstract Objective This study examined the interrater and test‐retest reliabilities of the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) in patients with binge eating disorder (BED). Method Interrater reliability and short‐term (6–14 days) test‐retest reliability of the EDE were examined in two study groups of 18 patients with BED. Results Interrater reliability was excellent for objective bulimic episodes and days (correlations above .98) and very good for the EDE scales, albeit somewhat variable (correlations range from .65 to .96). Test‐retest reliabilities were very good for objective bulimic episodes (.70) and days (.71) and were good (significant) for the EDE scales, albeit somewhat variable (correlations range from .50 to .88). Interrater reliability was excellent for subjective bulimic episodes and days but test‐retest reliabilities were unacceptable. Conclusions These findings support the reliability of the EDE for patients with BED. The EDE has utility for assessing the number of large binge episodes (objective bulimic episodes), as well as the number of days during which large binge episodes occurred. The EDE also demonstrates very good interrater and test‐retest reliabilities for assessing the associated features of eating disorders in patients with BED. The results for subjective bulimic episodes are consistent with previous studies, suggesting that these eating behaviors may not be reliable indicators of eating disorders. © 2003 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 35: 80–85, 2004.