Validation of the Arabic version of the SCOFF questionnaire for the screening of eating disorders.
The high prevalence of eating disorders in Arab countries indicates a need for an Arabic language screening tool. This study aimed to validate an Arabic version (A-SCOFF) of the British SCOFF questionnaire, a brief tool for the screening of eating disorders in primary health care. After translation and back-translation the A-SCOFF was given to 123 female patients [mean age 32 (SD 8.8) years] visiting primary health-care centres in Beirut. Each patient was evaluated by an eating disorders specialist blinded to A-SCOFF results. The validated Arabic version of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview and the DSM-IV criteria for eating disorders were used as diagnostic references. The best diagnostic threshold for the A-SCOFF was found to be at 2 positive answers with a sensitivity of 80.0%, a specificity of 72.7% and an area under the curve of 80.0%. The A-SCOFF questionnaire is accurate and reliable for the early detection of eating disorders in this high-risk population.
Notre Dame University, Zouk Mosbeh, Lebanon; INSERM U1073, Rouen University and Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France.
A
A
Aoun
Saint Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon.
J
J
Azzam
Saint Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon.
F El
FE
Jabbour
Saint Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon.
S
S
Hlais
Saint Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon.
D
D
Daham
Saint Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon.
C El
CE
Amm
Saint Joseph University, Beirut, Lebanon.
K
K
Honein
INSERM U1073, Rouen University and Rouen University Hospital, Rouen, France.
P
P
Déchelotte
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007861:Lebanon / Q000453:epidemiology; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D011320:Primary Health Care; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires