A five-item screening version of the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI-3)

ObjectiveThe Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) is used worldwide in research and treatment of eating disorders (EDs). Using the latest version (EDI-3: 91 items), we extracted the best screening items for a diagnosis of anorexia (AN) and bulimia (BN) nervosa.MethodA patient sample of 561 women was recruited from an ED treatment centre in Denmark, and a comparison group of 878 women was randomly selected from the general population. An ED diagnosis was determined according to the Eating Disorder Examination Interview, yielding 84 AN and 202 BN patients.ResultsOnly two EDI items (Cronbach's α = .79) were needed to achieve a superior screening capability of BN (sensitivity = .94, specificity = .94). An adequate screening of AN was possible by using three items (α = .71; sensitivity = .91, specificity = .86).DiscussionThe present study provides an even more economical and reliable screening of AN and BN compared with existing screening instruments. Implications for DSM-5 are also discussed.