Eating disorders: 13 questionnaires and rating scales

The Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ-34) is a self-report tool designed to measure individuals' concerns about their perceived body shape. It is often used in clinical assessments of eating disorders and body image dissatisfaction.

The BULIT is a self-report questionnaire used to screen for bulimia nervosa. It measures eating behaviors, attitudes, and concerns about weight control.

A questionnaire that measures the frequency of attitudes and behaviors associated with eating disorders.

The EDI-2 assesses the attitudes, behaviors, and psychological traits associated with eating disorders. Its 11 subscales cover eating behaviors and body image (drive for thinness, bulimia, body dissatisfaction), as well as psychological dimensions involved in maintaining the disorder: ineffectiveness, perfectionism, interpersonal distrust, interoceptive awareness, maturity fears, asceticism, impulse regulation, and social insecurity.

The EDE-Q is a benchmark self-report questionnaire used to assess eating disorder psychopathology over the past 28 days. Derived from the EDE clinical interview, it explores dietary restraint, eating, shape and weight concerns, as well as several key behaviors such as binge-eating episodes, loss of control, self-induced vomiting, laxative use and compulsive exercise. It is widely used by psychologists and specialized teams in both clinical practice and research for screening, initial assessment and monitoring changes in symptoms. Its main value is to standardize the assessment of symptom severity and facilitate longitudinal follow-up, without replacing a full clinical diagnosis.

The FCQ-T is a multidimensional self-report questionnaire designed to measure the habitual tendency toward intense food cravings. It explores not only the frequency of food cravings, but also intrusive food-related thoughts, expectations of pleasure or emotional relief, loss of control, contextual triggers, the physiological component, and associated guilt. It is particularly useful in clinical psychology and in research on eating disorders, binge eating, obesity, and impulsive eating behaviors.

The EDE-Q-A is an adapted version of the EDE-Q questionnaire, specifically designed to assess the frequency and severity of behaviors and concerns related to eating disorders in adolescents. It provides a reliable self-assessment of the main eating disorder symptoms according to DSM criteria, thereby supporting screening, treatment monitoring, and clinical research in young populations.

The TFEQ-51 is a 51-item self-report questionnaire designed to explore three major dimensions of eating behavior: cognitive restraint, disinhibition and susceptibility to hunger. It is widely used in the psychology of eating, in obesity clinics and in research to better understand eating control, episodes of loss of control and reactivity to internal or external hunger cues. The tool helps objectively identify eating profiles that are useful in psychological assessment, therapeutic follow-up and weight management programs, without constituting on its own a diagnostic instrument for eating disorders.

The MAC-R is a self-report questionnaire designed to measure the dysfunctional beliefs and cognitions characteristic of patients with eating disorders, particularly anorexia nervosa. It assesses dysfunctional attitudes toward thinness, weight control and self-evaluation.

The Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) is a self-report questionnaire designed to assess symptoms of food addiction based on the DSM-IV criteria for substance dependence applied to the consumption of highly palatable foods. It helps identify addictive eating behavior in order to support the diagnosis and treatment of these disorders in clinical or research settings.

The NIAS is a brief self-report questionnaire designed to identify the core symptoms of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder. It explores three commonly observed clinical presentations: picky eating related to sensory characteristics, low interest in eating or poor appetite, and fear of aversive consequences of eating such as choking, vomiting, or digestive discomfort. Its short format makes it useful as a first-line tool for clinical screening, diagnostic guidance, research, and monitoring changes in symptoms.

The BES is a 16-item self-report questionnaire designed to identify and quantify the severity of binge eating symptoms. It explores both the behavioral manifestations of binge episodes and the associated cognitive and emotional experiences, such as loss of control, guilt, shame, or preoccupation with food. Originally developed in adults with obesity, it is now widely used in clinical psychology, psychiatry, nutrition, and bariatric surgery programs. Its main value lies in screening for clinically significant binge eating, estimating baseline severity, and monitoring progress during treatment.

The EBQ-36 is a self-report tool that measures dysfunctional beliefs about eating, including positive beliefs, negative beliefs, and permissive beliefs related to overeating. It is used mainly in the assessment of eating disorders, particularly binge-eating disorder and bulimia nervosa.