Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26)
Psychology: Mental HealthReliability: alpha 0.903 sample items
About this scale
A 26-item screener for disordered eating attitudes and behaviours, including dieting, bulimia, and oral control. Total score ≥ 20 indicates risk.
Sample item(s)
“Am terrified about being overweight”
“Find myself preoccupied with food”
“Have gone on eating binges where I feel that I may not be able to stop”
Reliability
Reported internal consistency: alpha 0.90. As a rule of thumb, Cronbach’s α ≥ .70 is considered acceptable, ≥ .80 good, and ≥ .90 excellent for established measures.
Notes
Free for academic use; not a diagnostic tool.
Source & citation
Garner, D. M., Olmsted, M. P., Bohr, Y., & Garfinkel, P. E. (1982): The Eating Attitudes Test: Psychometric features and clinical correlates. Psychological Medicine, Vol. 12, No. 4, pp. 871–878.
Garner et al. (1982): EAT-26. Psychological Medicine, 12(4), 871–878.
Source. Scale details are summarised from the publication cited above. Always consult the original source for the full item set, scoring, and permission to use.
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