> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getrivet.ca/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# EDE-Q — Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire
> Fairburn's 28-item self-report measure of eating-disorder psychopathology over the past 28 days.
The EDE-Q is the dominant self-report measure of eating-disorder
psychopathology. Fairburn and Beglin derived it from the
clinician-administered Eating Disorder Examination interview; the current
6.0 version is the appendix instrument in Fairburn's 2008 CBT-E manual.
It's the standard outcome measure in CBT-E and the standard severity
instrument when a SCOFF screen comes back positive.
## What it measures
Eating-disorder psychopathology across four attitude subscales plus six
behavioural-frequency items, all asking about the past 28 days:
* **Restraint** (items 1–5) — dietary restraint
* **Eating concern** (items 7, 9, 19, 20, 21) — preoccupation with food
and eating
* **Shape concern** (items 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 27, 28) — body-shape
preoccupation and dissatisfaction
* **Weight concern** (items 8, 12, 22, 24, 25) — weight preoccupation
and dissatisfaction
* **Frequency items** (13–18) — counts of binge episodes, vomiting,
laxative use, and compensatory exercise
Attitude items are rated 0–6. Frequency items are integer counts.
Items 8, 16, 17, 25, 27, and 28 are flagged sensitive — purging, body
disgust, weighing-and-measuring. The intake panel handles them with the
same trauma-informed presentation as other sensitive items.
## When to send it
* After a positive [SCOFF](/clinical-templates/screening/scoff) when you
want symptom dimensions and severity
* Intake when an eating disorder is a presenting concern
* Pre/post and monthly tracking during CBT-E or any eating-disorder
treatment
* Discharge documentation for the eating-disorder outcome record
The 28 items take 10–15 minutes. Async administration in the week before
session works well — the 28-day window gives the client space to think
about patterns rather than the past 24 hours.
## Scoring and severity cutoffs
Four attitude subscale sums:
| Subscale | Items | Sum cutoff |
| -------------- | ---------------------------- | ---------- |
| Restraint | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 | ≥20 |
| Eating concern | 7, 9, 19, 20, 21 | ≥20 |
| Shape concern | 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 27, 28 | ≥32 |
| Weight concern | 8, 12, 22, 24, 25 | ≥20 |
The cutoffs are derived from the canonical average ≥4.0 clinical-concern
threshold × item count.
Canonical EDE-Q scoring uses subscale **averages** (sum / item count) and
a global score that averages the four subscale averages. Rivet displays
sum-based subscales because scoring sums and bands rather than averaging.
If you need the canonical 0–6 subscale average for a referral letter or
research record, divide the displayed subscale sum by its item count.
The six frequency items (13–18) are captured but not scored — you inspect
binge / vomiting / laxative / exercise counts directly. Items 16 and 17
(vomiting, laxatives) are flagged sensitive.
## EDE-Q vs SCOFF
Different jobs. The [SCOFF](/clinical-templates/screening/scoff) is a
five-question screen that answers yes-or-no in half a minute. The EDE-Q is
the assessment and outcome measure — twenty-eight items over the past
month, four attitude subscales, and separate counts of binge episodes,
vomiting, laxative use and compensatory exercise.
Those frequency counts are worth noting on their own: they are captured as
numbers and deliberately not folded into any subscale score, because how
often someone purged in the last month is a clinical fact you read
directly, not something to average away.
Routine intake screening is the SCOFF's job. Once eating is on the table,
the EDE-Q is what you administer and what you re-administer.
## Is it free to use?
**Yes.** Free clinical and research use, per Fairburn's CBT-E manual, where the questionnaire appears as an appendix.
## Citation
Fairburn, C. G., & Beglin, S. J. (2008). Eating Disorder Examination
Questionnaire (EDE-Q 6.0). In C. G. Fairburn, *Cognitive Behavior Therapy
and Eating Disorders.* New York: Guilford Press.
Original development: Fairburn, C. G., & Beglin, S. J. (1994). Assessment
of eating disorders: Interview or self-report questionnaire?
*International Journal of Eating Disorders,* 16(4), 363–370.
Free for clinical and research use; the verbatim canonical wording is
preserved in Rivet's template.
## When not to use it
The EDE-Q is a severity and symptom-dimension instrument, not a
brief screen. For a quick flag — primary care, time-pressured intake — use
the [SCOFF](/clinical-templates/screening/scoff). The 28-day frame can
miss acute recent change; a positive SCOFF in the past week is meaningful
even with a low EDE-Q. Both can be appropriate at intake when you want
the screen-plus-severity pair.
## Related articles
The 5-item brief screen.
The longitudinal view for repeated measures.