Disordered Eating Attitude Scale – DEAS (and score system)
Alvarenga et al. Development and validity of the Disordered Eating attitude Scale. Perceptual and
Motor Skills, 2010, 2:379-395.
- Higher scores means worse eating attitude; score in each question varies from 1 to 5;
- For question 1, its necessary to score each alternative to have question 1 score;
- Minimum score is 37 and maximum is 190;
- Correspondent score for each alternative is in read bellow.
PART I
1) Mark with an X how healthy and necessary you consider consumption of each kind of food
below:
a) Sugar
Eating this food often is healthy and necessary 1 point
Eating this food occasionally is healthy and necessary 1 point
Not eating this food is healthy and necessary 5 point
French Fries
Eating this food often is healthy and necessary 1 point
Eating this food occasionally is healthy and necessary 1 point
Not eating this food is healthy and necessary 5 point
Oil
Eating this food often is healthy and necessary 1 point
Eating this food occasionally is healthy and necessary 1 point
Not eating this food is healthy and necessary 5 point
b) Breads
Eating this food often is healthy and necessary 1 point
Eating this food occasionally is healthy and necessary 3 point
Not eating this food is healthy and necessary 5 point
Rice
Eating this food often is healthy and necessary 1 point
Eating this food occasionally is healthy and necessary 3 point
Not eating this food is healthy and necessary 5 point
Beans
Eating this food often is healthy and necessary 1 point
Eating this food occasionally is healthy and necessary 3 point
Not eating this food is healthy and necessary 5 point
Pasta
Eating this food often is healthy and necessary 1 point
Eating this food occasionally is healthy and necessary 3 point
Not eating this food is healthy and necessary 5 point
Red meat
Eating this food often is healthy and necessary 1 point
Eating this food occasionally is healthy and necessary 3 point
Not eating this food is healthy and necessary 5 point
Whole milk
Eating this food often is healthy and necessary 1 point
Eating this food occasionally is healthy and necessary 3 point
Not eating this food is healthy and necessary 5 point
Cheese
Eating this food often is healthy and necessary 1 point
Eating this food occasionally is healthy and necessary 3 point
Not eating this food is healthy and necessary 5 point
c) Vegetables
Eating this food often is healthy and necessary 1 point
Eating this food occasionally is healthy and necessary 3 point
Not eating this food is healthy and necessary 5 point
Fruits
Eating this food often is healthy and necessary 1 point
Eating this food occasionally is healthy and necessary 3 point
Not eating this food is healthy and necessary 5 point
White meat
Eating this food often is healthy and necessary 1 point
Eating this food occasionally is healthy and necessary 3 point
Not eating this food is healthy and necessary 5 point
2) Do you feel pleasure when you eat?
Yes. 1 point No. 5 point
3) Does eating ever feel unnatural to you?
Yes. 5 point No. 1 point
4) Have you ever spent one or more days without eating or having only liquids because you
believed you could lose weight?
Yes. 5 point No. 1 point
5) Do you count the calories of everything you eat?
Yes. 5 point No. 1 point
6) Do you enjoy the feeling of an empty stomach?
Yes. 5 point No. 1 point
7) Do you “skip” meals to avoid putting on weight?
Yes. 5 point No. 1 point
8) Does eating make you feel “dirty”?
Yes. 5 point No. 1 point
9) Do you have good memories related to food?
Yes. 1 point No. 5 point
10) Would you like to not need to eat?
Yes. 5 point No. 1 point
11) Do you believe that it is normal to eat sometimes just because you are sad, upset or bored?
Yes. 1 point No.
12) When you eat more than usual, what is your behavior afterwards?
Restart eating as usual. 1 point
Assume you have lost control and keep eating even more. 3 point
Decide to go on a diet to compensate. 3 point
Use some kind of compensation, such as physical activity, vomiting, laxatives and diuretics. 5
point
PART II
All question (13 to 25) score in the same way:
Always = 5 points
Usually = 4 points
Often = 3 points
Sometimes = 2 points
Rarely/never = 1 points
13) I feel guilty when I eat something that I thought I should not eat for some reason.
Always Usually Often Sometimes Rarely/Never
14) I quit eating a kind of food if I find out it has more calories than I thought.
Always Usually Often Sometimes Rarely/Never
15) I worry all the time about what I am going to eat, how much to eat, how to prepare food and
whether I should eat or not.
Always Usually Often Sometimes Rarely/Never
16) I worry about how much a certain kind of food or meal will make me gain weight.
Always Usually Often Sometimes Rarely/Never
17) I am angry when I feel hungry.
Always Usually Often Sometimes Rarely/Never
18) It is hard to choose what to eat, because I always think I should eat less or choose the option
with fewer calories.
Always Usually Often Sometimes Rarely/Never
19) When I desire a specific kind of food, I know I won’t stop eating until I have finished with it.
Always Usually Often Sometimes Rarely/Never
20) I would like to have my appetite and eating behavior under total control.
Always Usually Often Sometimes Rarely/Never
21) I try eating less in front of others in order to overeat when I am alone.
Always Usually Often Sometimes Rarely/Never
22) I am afraid to start eating and not be able to stop.
Always Usually Often Sometimes Rarely/Never
23) I dream of a pill that would replace food.
Always Usually Often Sometimes Rarely/Never
24) I get nervous and/or lose my self-control at parties and buffets, due to a great amount of foods
available.
Always Usually Often Sometimes Rarely/Never
25) My relationship with food messes up my life as a whole.
Always Usually Often Sometimes Rarely/Never
SUBSCALES:
Subscale 1 (Relationship with food) includes questions 8,10,13, 17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24 and 25;
Subscale 2 (Concerns about food and weight gain) includes questions 5,14,15 and 16;
Subscale 3 (Restrictive and compensatory practices) includes questions: 4,6,7 and 12;
Subscale 4 (Feeling toward eating) includes questions: 2,3 and 9;
Subscale 5 (Idea of normal eating) includes questions: 1a,b,c and 11.
