Focus area: Eating Disorders

Overview: The Eating Attitudes Test 26 (EAT-26) is a widely used screening to determine if a patient has an eating disorder that needs professional attention. The EAT-26 is a measure of symptoms and concerns that are characteristic of eating disorders in general, and is primarily used as a first step in a larger eating disorder clinical evaluation. 

Total number of items: Twenty six

Administration: Self-report

Standardized cadence: Variable

Estimated completion time: Ten to thirteen minutes

Supported subscales: Dieting, Bulimia and Food Preoccupation, and Oral Control

Age range: Adolescents and adults

Scoring and interpretation: Scores greater than 20 indicate a need for further investigation by a qualified professional. Low scores (below 20) can still be consistent with serious eating problems, as denial of symptoms can be a problem with eating disorders. Results should be interpreted along with weight history, current BMI (body mass index), and percentage of Ideal Body Weight. Positive responses to the eating disorder behavior questions (questions A through E) may indicate a need for referral in their own right.

Reliability/Validity: The Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) has been found to be highly reliable and valid (Garner, Olmsted, Bohr, & Garfinkel, 1982; Lee et al., 2002; Mintz & O’Halloran, 2000).

Additional information: The idea behind early screening assumes that an eating disorder identified in its early stages can lead a person to seek earlier treatment, thereby reducing the risk of serious physical and psychological complications. The EAT-26 can be a particularly useful tool for assessing eating disorder risk.