Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

The EAT-26 as screening instrument for clinical nutrition unit attenders

International Journal of Obesity volume 30, pages 977–981 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Objective:

The aim of this study was to use the Eating Attitudes Test-26 (EAT-26) as a screening instrument on a specific population with a marked prevalence of binge eating disorder (BED) and eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS). The EAT-26 questionnaire was used in order to identify the high-risk subjects for referral to clinical evaluation.

Method:

EAT-26 was administered to 845 subjects who, for the first time, came to the Nutritional Medicine Service looking for a diet between January 1999 and December 2002. From this initial sample, subsequently, 250 subjects were randomly selected and administered a semistructured clinical interview for DSM-IV (SCID I, version 2.0).

Results:

Discriminant analysis provided a cutoff value of EAT-26=11. Logistic regression analysis indicated high Dieting (D) or Bulimia (B) subscale scores as a risk factor of EDNOS or bulimia nervosa (BN) cases, respectively; on the other hand, a high Oral Control (O) subscale score represented a protecting factor for BED cases.

Conclusion:

Our study tried to assess the usefulness of EAT-26 as a screening instrument for obese patients attending a Medical Nutritional Service. Results from this study suggest that a cutoff score of 11, lower than that indicated in the literature, improves the diagnostic accuracy of the EAT-26 in a high-risk setting regarding sensibility level (68.1%) and leading to a reduction of the false negative rate (31.9%).

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder, 4th edn. Washington, DC 1994, trad. it. DSM-IV. Manuale diagnostico e statistico dei disturbi mentali. Masson: Milano, 1996.

  2. Szmukler G, Dare C, Treasure J . Handbook of Eating Disorders, Theory, Treatment and Research 1995. Wiley: New York.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Cotrufo P, Barretta V, Monteleone P, Maj M . Full-syndrome, partial-syndrome and sub clinical eating disorders: an epidemiological study of female students in southern Italy. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1998; 98: 112–115.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Stein D, Meged S, Bar-Hanin T, Blank S, Elizur A, Weizman A et al. Partial Eating Disorders in Community Sample of Females Adolescents. J Am Acad Child Psychiatry 1997; 36: 1116–1123.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Mizes JS, Sloan DM . An empirical analysis of eating disorder not otherwise specified: preliminary support for a distinct subgroup. Int J Eat Disord 1998; 23: 233–242.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Nicholls D, Chater R, Lask B . Children into DSM don't go: a comparison of classification systems for eating disorders in childhood and early adolescence. Int J Eat Disord 2000; 28: 317–324.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Cotrufo P . Il disturbo da alimentazione incontrollata: dati epidemiologici e caratterizzazione clinica. Giornale Italiano di Psicopatologia 1999; 5/3: 229–232.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Yanovski SZ, Nelson JE, Dubbert BK, Spitzer RL . Association of binge eating disorder and psychiatric comorbidity in obese subject. Am J Psychiatry 1993; 150/10: 1472–1479.

    Google Scholar 

  9. Garner DM, Garfinkel P . The eating attitude test: an index of the symptoms of anorexia nervosa. Psychol Med 1979; 9: 273–279.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Garner DM, Olmstead MP, Polivy J . Development and validation of a multidimensional eating disorder inventory for anorexia nervosa and bulimia. Int J Eat Disord 1983; 2: 15–34.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Mintz LB . The eating attitude test: validation with DSM IV Eating Disorder Criteria. J Pers Assess 2000; 74/3: 489–503.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  12. Dotti A, Lazzari R . Validation and reliability of the Italian EAT-26. Eat Weight Disord 1998; 3: 188–194.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Garner DM, Olmsted MP, Bohr Y, Garfinkel P . The eating attitudes test: psychometric features and clinical correlates. Psychol Med 1982; 12: 871–878.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Williams P, Hand D, Tarnopolsky A . The problem of screening for uncommon disorders – a comment on the eating attitudes test. Psychol Med 1982; 12: 431–434.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Anstine D, Grinenko D . Rapid screening for disordered eating in college-aged females in the primary care setting. J Adolesc Health 2000; 26/5: 338–342.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Morgan HG, Macquire-Samson IMP, Purgold J, Vassilas CA . Outcome assessment. In: Herzog W, Deter HC and Vandereycken W (eds.). The Course of Eating Disorders. Springer-Verlag: Berlin, 1992, pp 30–39.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  17. Garner DM, Garfinkel PE . Socio-cultural factors in the development of anorexia nervosa. Psychol Med 1980; 10: 647–656.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. First MB, Spitzer RL, Gibbon M, Williams JBW . Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I), Clinician Version 1997. American Psychiatric Publishing Inc.: Arlington, VA, USA.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Hay PJ, Marley J, Lemar S . Covert eating disorders: the prevalence, characteristics and help-seeking of those with bulimic eating disorders in general practice. Primary Care Psychiatry 1998; 4: 95–99.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Mond JM, Hay PJ, Rodgers B, Owen C, Beumont PJV . Validity of the Eating Disorder Questionnaire (EDE-Q) in screening for eating disorders in community samples. Behav Res Ther 2004; 42: 551–567.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Fairburn CG, Beglin SJ . Assessment of eating disorders: interview or self-report questionnaire? Int J Eat Disord 1994; 16: 363–370.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Clinica Psichiatrica, DPMSC, University of Udine, Udine, Italy

    B Orbitello, R Ciano, M Corsaro, P L Rocco & M Balestrieri

  2. Servizio di Medicina Nutrizionale, AOSMM, Udine, Italy

    C Taboga & M Armellini

  3. SOC, Diabetologia e Malattie Metaboliche, AOSMM, Udine, Italy

    L Tonutti

Authors
  1. B Orbitello
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. R Ciano
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. M Corsaro
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. P L Rocco
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. C Taboga
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. L Tonutti
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. M Armellini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. M Balestrieri
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to B Orbitello.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Orbitello, B., Ciano, R., Corsaro, M. et al. The EAT-26 as screening instrument for clinical nutrition unit attenders. Int J Obes 30, 977–981 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0803238

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0803238

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links