The EAT-26 is one of the most commonly used
inventories for identifying individuals at risk for an eating disorders.
This instruments is administered by self-report, thus honesty when
completing the inventory is necessary for the best results. The EAT-26
consists of three subscales that evaluates food preoccupation, oral
control, and bulimic tendencies, by measuring restrictive eating, fear
of weight changes, weight restricting activities, maladaptive thought
processes, and body dissatisfaction. To use this inventory simply use
the grid below to score each item and tally all 26 questions to yield a
total score.
| Always | Usually | Often | Sometimes | Rarely | Never | | 1. Am terrified about being overweight |
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| | 2. Avoid eating when I am hungry |
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| | 3. Find myself preoccupied with food |
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| | 4. Have gone on eating binges where I feel I may not be able to stop |
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| | 5. Cut my food into small pieces |
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| | 6. Aware of the calorie content of foods I eat |
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| | 7. Particularly avoid food with a high carbohydrate content ( bread, rice, potatoes, etc). |
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| | 8. Feel that others would prefer if I ate more |
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| | 9. Vomit after I have eaten |
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| | 10. Feel extremely guilty after eating |
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| | 11. Am preoccupied with a desire to be thinner |
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| | 12. Think about burning up calories when I exercise |
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| | 13. Other people think I'm too thin |
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| | 14. Am preoccupied with the thought of having fat on my body |
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| | 15. Take longer than others to eat my meals |
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| | 16. Avoid foods with sugar in them |
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| | 17. Eat diet foods |
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| | 18. Feel that food controls my life |
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| | 19. Display self-control around food |
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| | 20. Feel that others pressure me to eat |
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| | 21. Give too much time and thought to food |
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| | 22. Feel uncomfortable after eating sweets |
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| | 23. Engage in dieting behavior |
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| | 24. Like my stomach to be empty |
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| | 25. Have the impulse to vomit after meals |
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| 26. Enjoy trying new rich foods
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SCORING THE EATING ATTITUDES TEST
For all items except #26, each of the responses receives the following value:
Always = 3
Usually = 2
Often = 1
Sometimes = 0
Rarely = 0
Never = 0
For item #26, the responses receive these values:
Always = 0
Usually = 0
Often = 0
Sometimes = 1
Rarely = 2
Never = 3
After
scoring each item, add the scores for a total. If your score is 20 or
more, it is recommended that you discuss your responses with a
counselor, nutritionist, or family doctor.
The results of this
test is not intended to determine a diagnosis, nor suggest a
life-threatening disorder, however the EAT-26 has proven to be an
effective screening tool by identifying eating disorder symptomology,
thus promoting earlier treatment and recovery.
Reproduced with
permission by Dr. D. Garner (Garner et al., 1982. The eating attitudes
test: Psychometric features and clinical correlates. Psychological Medicine , 12 , 871‑878). Further information on the EAT-26 can be obtained from: www.river-centre.org
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