Eating Attitude Test 26 (EAT-26)
© Dr. David Garner PhD
Discover how high is the risk that you can contract an eating disorders.
For over twenty years, the Eating Attitude Test was shown to be an effective tool for screening high-risk populations. The EAT
, being a self-administered test, has a number of limitations relating mainly to the fact that its validity depends on the honesty with which the test subject responds to various questions.
Nevertheless, several controlled studies have shown that EAT is a screening tool for economic, reliable and valid, which can be a help valuable in the diagnosis of an eating disorder even in contexts where there are strong cultural differences.
Eat The recent addition of a series of behavioral questions specific to DCA, can further improve the ability of the test to highlight the clinical eating disorders, but without coming to this, the EAT, it remains a valuable test for highlight the concern that an individual manifests in respect of its own weight and physical appearance.
Behavioral Questions To answer these questions, put a circle around the definition that seems most appropriate to describe your event by choosing one of the following responses:
Never / From one to several times a month / Once a week / two to six times a week / Once per day More than once a day
Over the past three months you happen to have one of the following behaviors ?
1. To have binge eating, ie eating a lot more than what most people would eat under similar circumstances, plus the feeling of not being able to stop once you had started?
2. Cause you to vomit in order to control your weight or your body shape?
3. Make use of laxatives to control your weight or your body shape?
4. Be in care because of an eating disorder?
5. Thinking of suicide or groped?
EAT-26 Test
Enter an answer for each question by choosing between:
Always / Usually / Often / Sometimes / Rarely / Never
1. I have a terrible fear of getting fat
2. I avoid eating when I'm hungry
3. I think the food is concerned
4. I happened to eating binges and failing to stop
5. I used to chop food
6. Pay close attention to the calorie content of foods they eat
7. I tend to avoid foods with high carbohydrate content (bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, dessert)
8. I have a feeling that others would prefer I ate more
9. I happen to vomit after eating
10. I feel extremely guilty after I ate
11. I feel a strong desire to be thinner
12. When I think of how much exercise I'm burning calories
13. Others see me too thin
14. I'm worried at the thought of having fat on my body
15. When I eat takes longer than others to finish the meal
16. I avoid foods that contain sugar
17. I eat diet foods
18. I feel that food controls my life
19. I like to show self-control about food and hunger dominate
20. The others are putting pressure on me because I eat more
21. Dedicated to food too much time and thoughts
22. I feel uncomfortable after eating sweets
23. I tend to follow the diets
24. I like it when I feel my stomach is empty
25. I feel the urge to vomit after eating
26. I like to try new foods and processed
Instructions for calculating the score of 'EAT-26
Note: In this edition dell'EAT-26, the order of questions 25 and 26 has been changed from the original edition of 'EAT-26, published by Garner et. al in 1982, the question that was before the number 25 has now become the number 26 (the last) of the questionnaire. This was done in order to simplify the calculation of the score.
The scoring of the test is therefore calculated as follows:
for the first 25 questions you must assign the following scores to responses: Always
... ... ... ... .3 points
Usually ... ... ... .. 2 points
Often ... ... ... ... .. 1 point
Sometimes ... ... ... ... 0 points
Rarely ... ... .. 0 points
Never ... ... ... ... ... ... 0 points
For the last question instead (question 26) you have to assign scores to the following responses: Always
... ... ... ... .0 points
Usually ... ... ... .. 0 points
Often ... ... ... ... .0 points
Sometimes ... ... ... .. 1 point
Rarely ... ... .2 points
Mai ... ... ... ... ... .. 3 points
The total score is calculated by adding the test scores in individual applications.
The criteria used to decide if you need further investigations or treatment are (at least one must be present):
1. A score equal to or greater than 20-26 nell'EAT
2. At least one positive response to at least one of the five behavioral questions
3. A body mass index (BMI) of less than 18 (see the table in this regard)
4. The fact that you have the feeling of having a few problems with the food and then spontaneously ask for expert advice
