Initial validation of a screening tool for disordered eating in adolescent athletes

Journal of Eating Disorders

Emily Werner¹  Samantha F. Kennedy²  Jeffrey Kovan³  Heather Kleiman⁴  Ryley Mancine⁵  Donald Gusfa⁵ 

[1] Department of Kinesiology, Michigan State University, 48824, East Lansing, MI, USA;Department of Psychiatry, Michigan State University, 909 Wilson Rd, Room B119, 48824, East Lansing, MI, USA;Department of Sports Medicine, Michigan State University, 48824, East Lansing, MI, USA;Grand Ledge High School, 48837, Grand Ledge, MI, USA;Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, Michigan State University, 48824, East Lansing, MI, USA;

关键词: Anorexia nervosa;    Bulimia nervosa;    Sports;    Disordered eating;    Eating disorder;    Screening tool;    Desa-6;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s40337-020-00364-7

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundDisordered eating (DE) is a growing problem among all athletes, particularly adolescents. To help prevent the progression of DE to a clinical eating disorder (ED), a brief screening tool could offer an efficient method for early identification of DE in athletes and facilitate treatment. The aim of this study is to validate a screening tool for DE that will identify male and female adolescent athletes of all sports and levels of competition who are at risk for DE. The Disordered Eating Screen for Athletes (DESA-6) consists of only 6 items and was designed for use in both male and female athlete populations.MethodsValidation involved two phases: Phase I consisted of screening high school athletes using the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) and the DESA-6; and Phase II included inviting all high school athletes categorized as “at risk” after screening, plus age- and self-reported gender- matched athletes categorized as not “at risk”, to complete the same surveys a second time along with clinical interview. Validity and regression analyses were used to compare the DESA-6 to the EAT-26 and EDE 17.0D.ResultsWhen comparing to clinical interview, the DESA-6 had a total sensitivity of 92% and specificity of 85.96%, respectively. Upon comparison of concurrent validity, Phase II DESA-6 had a strong significant positive correlation for both males and females when compared to Phase II EDE 17.0D.ConclusionsA brief, easy to administer screening tool for recognizing DE that can be used by physicians, psychologists, athletic trainers, registered dietitians, and other sport/healthcare staff is of utmost importance for early intervention, which can lead to improved treatment outcomes. The DESA-6 is a promising tool for risk assessment of DE in athletes.

【 授权许可】

CC BY