The preliminary reliability and validity of the Survey for Eating Disorders (SEDs): A self-report questionnaire for diagnosing eating disorders

The present study examined the reliability and validity of the Survey for Eating Disorders (SEDs), a self-report questionnaire intended to assess eating disorders (ED) according to the classification in the DSM-IV. This appraisal was conducted with a clinical sample of subjects with ED (N=45), and a student sample (N=124). In the clinical sample, the SEDs was validated against the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) which is considered to be the 'gold standard' for the assessment of ED. In this sample, there were only two false positive cases of 45 on the SEDs, when patients were reassessed by the EDE interview. Thus, the positive predictive value was as high as 0.96. In the student sample, the SEDs was validated against the Eating, Disorders Inventory (EDI) where the results showed strong evidence of concurrent and discriminant validity, and very high test-retest reliability (2 weeks). The SEDs is relatively brief and easy to administer, and these preliminary findings support its reliability and validity. Copyright (C) 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.