SCOFF Questionnaire [SQ-5]

Description

The SCOFF Questionnaire (SQ-5) is a brief five-item screening tool for eating disorders. It was developed as a simple and easy-to-remember instrument that can be used by both professionals and non-professionals, including in primary healthcare settings. The questions may be administered either orally or in written form.

Purpose

The main purpose of the SCOFF is to identify individuals in the general population who may be at risk of an eating disorder and may require further assessment. It is intended as a screening instrument rather than a diagnostic tool.

Scoring

The questionnaire consists of five yes/no questions. Each “yes” response contributes one point to the total score. A score of 2 or more was originally proposed as the cut-off for high sensitivity in detecting possible anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, while a cut-off of 3 has also been suggested as a compromise between sensitivity and specificity.

Psychometric Properties

Research has shown that the SCOFF is a highly efficient screening instrument for detecting eating disorders and has been validated in several languages and populations. Its main strengths include readability, ease of administration, brief completion time, and broad accessibility.

Applications

The SCOFF can be used in primary healthcare, clinical settings, epidemiological studies, and population-based research where a rapid screening method for possible eating disorders is required.

References

Morgan, J., Reid, F., & Lacey, J. (1999). The SCOFF questionnaire: Assessment of a new screening tool for eating disorders. BMJ, 319(7223), 1467–1468.

Botella, J., Sepúlveda, A., Huang, H., & Gambara, H. (2013). A meta-analysis of the diagnostic accuracy of the SCOFF. The Spanish Journal of Psychology, 16.

Perry, L., Morgan, J., Reid, F., et al. (2002). Screening for symptoms of eating disorders: Reliability of the SCOFF screening tool with written compared to oral delivery. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 32(4), 466–472.

Solmi, F., Hatch, S., Hotopf, M., Treasure, J., & Micali, N. (2014). Validation of the SCOFF questionnaire for eating disorders in a multiethnic general population sample. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 48(3), 312–316.