A Pilot Study Evaluating a Binge-Eating Screener in Children: Development of the Children's Brief Binge-Eating Questionnaire in a Pediatric Obesity Clinic.

Children referred to pediatric obesity programs are at high risk of binge-eating disorder (BED) symptoms. Our goal was to develop and evaluate the Children's Brief Binge-Eating Questionnaire (CBBEQ) as a rapid screen of BED symptomatology. Seventy patients between the ages of 7 and 18 years (57% females) completed the CBBEQ and underwent the Eating Disorder Assessment for (EDA). Reliability and validity were assessed by examining results of the CBBEQ compared with the EDA, as well as measures of sleep, depression, and anxiety. Twenty-four of seventy (34%) children met full diagnostic interview criteria for BED and 12 (17%) met subclinical criteria. The CBBEQ demonstrated 100% specificity, 93% sensitivity, and a 100% negative predictive value for BED at a cutoff total score of 9. If confirmed in larger sample, this questionnaire could be a quick and accurate clinical tool for non-mental health providers to identify children at risk for BED.