Reliability of the Eating Disorder Examination in patients with binge eating disorder

Objective: This study examined the interrater and test-retest reliabilities of the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) in patients with binge eating disorder (BED).

Method: Interrater reliability and short-term (6-14 days) test-retest reliability of the EDE were examined in two study groups of 18 patients with BED.

Results: Interrater reliability was excellent for objective bulimic episodes and days (correlations above .98) and very good for the EDE scales, albeit somewhat variable (correlations range from .65 to .96). Test-retest reliabilities were very good for objective bulimic episodes (.70) and days (.71) and were good (significant) for the EDE scales, albeit somewhat variable (correlations range from .50 to .88). Interrater reliability was excellent for subjective bulimic episodes and days but test-retest reliabilities were unacceptable.

Conclusions: These findings support the reliability of the EDE for patients with BED. The EDE has utility for assessing the number of large binge episodes (objective bulimic episodes), as well as the number of days during which large binge episodes occurred. The EDE also demonstrates very good interrater and test-retest reliabilities for assessing the associated features of eating disorders in patients with BED. The results for subjective bulimic episodes are consistent with previous studies, suggesting that these eating behaviors may not be reliable indicators of eating disorders.