eating disorder screening tools
There are several screening tools that can be used to assist in the early detection and diagnosis of eating disorders. Screening tools are not diagnostic eating disorder tools but rather used to detect the possibility of an eating disorder and identify when a comprehensive assessment is warranted.
The Eating Disorder Screen for Primary Care (ESP) and SCOFF are evidence-based tools that have been validated for use in primary and specialist care settings. The following screening and assessment tools have been pulled from National Eating Disorders Collaboration (NEDC).
Eating Disorder Screen for Primary Care (ESP)
Are you satisfied with your eating patterns?
Do you ever eat in secret?
Does your weight affect the way you feel about yourself?
Have any members of your family suffered with an eating disorder?
Do you currently suffer with, or have you ever suffered in the past, with an eating disorder?
A ‘no’ to question 1 is classified as an abnormal response
A ‘yes’ to questions 2-5 is classified as an abnormal response
Any abnormal response indicates that the client needs further assessment.
SCOFF
S – Do you make yourself Sick because you feel uncomfortably full?
C – Do you worry you have lost Control over how much you eat?
O – Have you recently lost more than One stone (6.35 kg) in a three-month period?
F – Do you believe yourself to be Fat when others say you are too thin?
F – Would you say Food dominates your life?
An answer of ‘yes’ to two or more questions indicates the need for a more comprehensive assessment.
A further two questions with SCOFF have been shown to have a high sensitivity and specificity to bulimia nervosa. These questions are not diagnostic but would indicate further questioning and discussion is required.
Are you satisfied with your eating patterns?
Do you ever eat in secret?
Disordered Eating/Intuitive Eating Questionnaire
