Validated eating disorder screening tools for paediatric populations: A systematic review
Abstract
IMPORTANCE
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rise in paediatric eating disorder (ED) cases, highlighting the need for validated screening tools, particularly for pre-adolescent children, to enable early detection.
OBJECTIVE
This review aims to systematically evaluate the validation and psychometric properties of screening tools for assessing EDs in the paediatric population, with a focus on pre-adolescents (under 12 years).
EVIDENCE REVIEW
A systematic search of Medline (OVID) and PsycInfo (OVID) databases was conducted following Cochrane Rapid Review Guidelines, registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023465366). Studies were selected based on seven criteria, including ED diagnoses (anorexia nervosa, avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder) in children under 12. A random 20% sample was cross-checked for errors. Data extraction followed a pre-defined template with additional independent checks. The primary outcome was the predictive validity of the screening tools.
RESULTS
Of 3,911 citations screened, 28 studies (N=25,444) were included, with six focusing on children under 12 (N=1,430). The methods varied, with 18 studies using clinical interviews and 10 using validated questionnaires. Most tools achieved a Level 3 rating on The Rational Clinical Examination Levels of Evidence, indicating methodological limitations. The child version of the Eating Attitudes Test (ChEAT) had the most evidence, though it has not been validated for DSM-5…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a systematic review, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid. Reported size: 25,444 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- The Matrisome: In Silico Definition and In Vivo Characterization by Proteomics of Normal and Tumor Extracellular Matrices
- The Escherichia coli MG1655 in silico metabolic genotype: Its definition, characteristics, and capabilities
- In silico pharmacology for drug discovery: methods for virtual ligand screening and profiling
- In silico prediction of splice-altering single nucleotide variants in the human genome
- In silico clinical trials: how computer simulation will transform the biomedical industry
- In silico optimization of a guava antimicrobial peptide enables combinatorial exploration for peptide design
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.