Rapid screening for disordered eating in college-aged females in the primary care setting

Abstract

Purpose: To identify an efficient, valid, and reliable instrument for use by primary care physicians during clinical encounters to screen female adolescents at risk for eating disorders. Methods: We created a survey of 36 questions, including the Eating Attitude Test-26 (EAT-26) and additional test questions identified through focus groups and literature review. The EAT-26 is a valid and reliable tool to identify individuals with eating disorders (1). We randomly distributed the survey to 865 college freshman women residing in dormitories at the University of Florida. The EAT-26 portion of the survey was scored according to established protocol. A score of ≥20 identified individuals likely to have an eating disorder, including anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Results: 402 women completed surveys for a response rate of 47%. Based on the EAT-26 scores greater than 20, 17% of our population had scores predictive of an eating disorder. Four test questions correlated with positive EAT-26 scores: “How many diets have you been on in the past year?”; “Do you feel you should be dieting?”; “Do you feel dissatisfied with your body size?”; and “Does your weight affect the way you feel about yourself?” Conclusions: These four test questions in written format screen for disordered eating among female college students in primary care settings.