Disordered Eating Attitude Scale – DEAS
Measures distorted eating attitudes and discrepancies in beliefs, thoughts, and feelings regarding specific eating patterns and relationships with food.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Disordered Eating Attitude Scale – DEAS was developed by Alvarenga, M. S., Scagliusi, F. B., & Philippi, S. T. (2010). It is designed to measure Disordered eating attitudes. The scale is intended for use with Clinical and non-clinical adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 37 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Relationship with food, Concerns about food and weight gain, Restrictive and compensatory practices, Feeling toward eating, Idea of normal eating.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Relationship with food | 20,22,25,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37 | 12 |
| Concerns about food and weight gain | 17,26,27,28 | 4 |
| Restrictive and compensatory practices | 16,18,19,24 | 4 |
| Feeling toward eating | 14,15,21 | 3 |
| Idea of normal eating | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,23 | 14 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Rarely/Never, 2 = Sometimes, 3 = Often, 4 = Usually, 5 = Always.
The scale includes 3 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 37 to 190. Interpretation guidelines:
- Total Score Range (Higher scores indicate worse eating attitudes): 37 – 190
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.