Eating Disorder Resources
Eating Disorder Resources
- There are no shortage of resources for folks who have eating disorders.
- You can find some information about eating disorder prevalence, demographics, and pathology on the NRFi Research page and in the publications hyperlinked on the Publications page.
- Be sure to check back for more information on the NourishED YouTube Channel and Podcast coming soon.
- In addition to the resources provided below, you can fund an abundance of free resources on Dr. Bray's website (www.brennabray.com).
Screening Tools with Empirical Validation and Support
Curious If You or Someone You Know Has An Eating Disorder?
Do you feel your experiences, thoughts, beliefs, behaviors, and/or relationship with food(s) and/or eating may be different from those around you? If so, you are not alone!
Current research suggests that as many as 31% of individuals in the U.S. experience binge eating disorder at some point in their life and as many as 95% of individuals with binge eating disorder do not know they have an eating disorder and never receive a formal diagnosis or treatment.
Below are screening tools that you can use to better understand your relationship with food and eating. These tools are used in research and have empirical and often clinical support.
Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q)
Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q)
Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q)
- The EDE-Q is a self-report questionnaire that measures the frequency of thoughts and behaviors associated with eating disorder pathology and diagnoses over the past 28 days (4 weeks) (Mond et al, 2004).
- The EDE-Q has been validated in research, in male and female populations. It can reliably distinguish between eating disorder pathology associated with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and eating disorder not otherwise specified (Mond et al, 2004).
- The EDE-Q has been deemed appropriate for use with adolescents and adults in primary care settings as a screener for eating disorders.
- The EDE-Q can be found online here and here.
- Information for scoring can be found here.
Binge Eating Scale (BES)
Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q)
Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q)
- The BES is a 16-item questionnaire that can assess the presence of behaviors, thoughts, and emotional states indicative of eating disorders.
- The BES is validated in research and can successfully discriminate among persons who have either no, moderate, or severe binge eating behavior and pathology (Gormally1982;Duarte2015).
- The BES can also distinguish obesity from binge eating severity (Gormally, 1982).
- Research using this scale finds individuals with severe binge eating often set up diets that are “unrealistically strict” and also report low expectations about their ability to sustain a diet (Gormally1982; Duarte, 2015).
- The scale and scoring resources can be found here.
The Eating Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ)
Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q)
The Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (YFAS 2.0)
- The EBQ is a questionnaire used to assess beliefs around eating that may align with those associated with eating disorder pathology and diagnoses.
- It is a validated research tool that measures negative, positive, and permissive beliefs about disordered eating (e.g., negative beliefs about loss of control, positive beliefs about perceived benefits, and beliefs that permit disordered eating to continue). (e.g., Cooper, 2017; Burton & Abbott, 2018).
- The original 32-item EBQ can be accessed here and downloaded here (Cooper, 2017).
- The 18-item EBQ can be accessed here (see Additional File 1 for full questionnaire) and downloaded here (Burton & Abbott, 2018).
The Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (YFAS 2.0)
The Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (YFAS 2.0)
The Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (YFAS 2.0)
- The YFAS 2.0 is a 25-item scale that translates the DSM-V diagnostic criteria for substance dependence in a way that enables it to assess signs of addictive-like eating behavior that can be associated with consuming highly processed and/or calorie-dense foods (e.g., French fries, milkshakes)(Gearhardt, Corbin, & Brownell, 2009; Food and Addiction Science & Treatment Lab,2024).
- It is validated by research in both adults and children in a variety of different languages.
- Research using this scale has found that “food addiction” correlates highly with elevated BMI, binge eating, and weight cycling, suggesting these three variables may be linked to underlying processes of food or eating addiction in some cases.
What is "Food Addiction"?
The Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (YFAS 2.0)
What is "Food Addiction"?
- "Food addiction” is not a DSM-5 mental health diagnosis.
- However, it is a well-validated research construct.
- Both humans and rodents can display the same patterns of food/eating-seeking or engagement as are observed with alcohol, drugs, shopping, spending, gambling, gaming, internet use, relationships, sex, and pornography.
- The same changes that occur in the brain are observed in: (a) many cases of eating disorders, (b) individuals who qualify as having food/eating addictions, and (c) individuals with alcohol and substance use disorders and substance-related addictive disorders.
- These similarities are often especially true for binge-type patterns of eating and for foods that are highly palatable, highly processed, and/or high in sugar, sodium, or fat content.