Using an exercise-based instrument to detect signs of an eating disorder.

The study employed an innovative exercise-based instrument to identify individuals at risk for eating disorder (ED). The Exercise Orientation Questionnaire (EOQ), a reliable and valid instrument, was used to compare 80 ED patients, 74 obese patients, 99 elite runners, and 214 controls from a previous study. Runners resembled ED patients in scoring high on total EOQ and exercise intensity but differed in that the athletes scored low on self-loathing (SLSS), a sub-scale of the EOQ. SLSS scores clearly distinguished clinical (ED, obese) from non-clinical groups, while other sub-scales (self-control, weight loss, and identity) did not. The study suggests that it is feasible to detect ED risk through assessment of exercise attitudes and behaviors. The SLSS subscale of the EOQ can differentiate clinical from non-clinical groups and anorexic patients from healthy individuals with body mass index within the anorexic range. The SLSS could provide a theoretical bridge between compulsive athleticism and ED.