Validation of the adolescent binge eating disorder measure (ADO-BED) among transgender youth and young adults

BackgroundTransgender youth and young adults are at increased risk for eating disorders, including binge eating disorder, yet few measures have been validated for screening purposes with the transgender population.MethodsThe purpose of this study was to provide initial evidence for the internal consistency and convergent validity of the Adolescent Binge Eating Disorder questionnaire (ADO-BED) in a sample of transgender youth and young adults. 208 participants completed the ADO-BED as part of a routine nutrition screening protocol at a gender center. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis was used to establish the factor structure of the ADO-BED. Relationships between the ADO-BED, Sick, Control, One Stone, Fat, Food (SCOFF), Nine Item Avoidant/restrictive Intake Disorder (NIAS), Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 (GAD-7), and demographic characteristics were explored.ResultsAnalyses revealed a one-factor structure of the ADO-BED with good fit to the data in the present sample. The ADO-BED was shown to be significantly related to all convergent validity variables, except the NIAS.ConclusionsThe ADO-BED is a valid measure to screen for BED among transgender youth and young adults. Healthcare professionals can screen all transgender patients for BED, regardless of body size, in order to effectively identify and manage binge eating concerns. Plain English SummaryTransgender individuals are at increased risk for eating disorders, including binge eating disorder. Different questionnaires are used to screen people for eating disorders to know if they need additional evaluation. However, few of the existing questionnaires commonly used to screen for eating disorders have been tested with the transgender population. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine if one questionnaire, the Adolescent Binge Eating Disorder questionnaire (ADO-BED), is an accurate measure to screen for binge eating disorder among transgender youth and young adults. The results of this study supported that the ADO-BED is indeed a valid measure to use with transgender patients.