Validation of the SCOFF questionnaire for screening of eating disorders among Mexican university students

Omar Sanchez-Armass, Marcela Raffaelli, Flavia Cristina Drumond Andrade, Angela R. Wiley, Aida Nacielli Morales Noyola, Alejandra Cepeda Arguelles, Celia Aradillas-Garcia

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate the criterion validity and diagnostic utility of the SCOFF, a brief eating disorder (ED) screening instrument, in a Mexican sample. Methods: The study was conducted in two phases in 2012. Phase I involved the administration of self-report measures [the SCOFF and the Eating Disorder Inventory-2, (EDI-2)] to 1057 students aged 17–56 years (M age = 21.0, SD = 3.4; 67 % female) from three colleges at the Universidad Autónoma de San Luis Potosí, Mexico. In Phase II, a random subsample of these students (n = 104) participated in the eating disorder examination, a structured interview that yields ED diagnoses. Analyses were conducted to evaluate the SCOFF’s criterion validity by examining (a) correlations between scores on the SCOFF and the EDI-2 and (b) the SCOFF’s ability to differentiate diagnosed ED cases and non-cases. Results: EDI-2 subscales showed high correlations with the SCOFF scores proving initial evidence of criterion validity. A score of two points on the SCOFF optimized the sensitivity (78 %) and specificity (84 %). With this cutoff, the SCOFF correctly classified over half the cases (PPV = 58 %) and screened out the majority of non-cases (NPV = 93 %) providing further evidence of criterion validity. Analyses were repeated separately for men and women, yielding gender-specific information on the SCOFF’s performance. Conclusions: Taken as a whole, results indicated that the SCOFF can be a useful tool for identifying Mexican university students who are at risk of eating disorders.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)153-160
Number of pages8
JournalEating and Weight Disorders
Volume22
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - Mar 1 2017

Keywords

  • Eating disorder examination
  • Eating disorder inventory
  • Eating disorders
  • Mexico
  • SCOFF
  • Validation

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Clinical Psychology
  • Psychiatry and Mental health

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