title: Readability and comprehension of self-report binge eating measures.
abstract: The validity of self-report binge eating instruments among individuals with limited literacy is uncertain. This study aims to evaluate reading grade level and multiple domains of comprehension of 13 commonly used self-report assessments of binge eating for use in low-literacy populations. We evaluated self-report binge eating measures with respect to reading grade levels, measure length, formatting and linguistic problems.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All measures were written at a reading grade level higher than is recommended for patient materials (above the 5th to 6th grade level), and contained several challenging elements related to comprehension. Correlational analyses suggested that readability and comprehension elements were distinct contributors to measure difficulty. Individuals with binge eating who have low levels of educational attainment or limited literacy are often underrepresented in measure validation studies. Validity of measures and accurate assessment of symptoms depend on an individual's ability to read and comprehend instructions and items, and these may be compromised in populations with lower levels of literacy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Boston University, Boston, MA 02215, USA. laurenkr@bu.edu
authors.forename: Lauren K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Richards
authors.forename: R Kathryn
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: McHugh
authors.forename: Elizabeth M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Pratt
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Thompson-Brenner
mesh_terms: D002032:Bulimia / Q000175:diagnosis*; D032882:Comprehension; D004522:Educational Status; D006801:Humans; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000295:instrumentation; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*
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