Why was the EDSA developed? 

The EDSA was the result of a collaboration between a sports dietitian and public health researchers who recognized the need for a brief eating disorders screening tool appropriate for use in both male and female athletes.

Has the EDSA been validated?

Yes, the EDSA has been validated in U.S. collegiate male and female athletes competing at the Division I, Division II, Division III, and club levels. See the validation paper to learn more.

Can the EDSA be used across different sport types and levels of competition?

Yes. In addition to performing comparably across males and females, the EDSA has been found to perform comparably across sport type (lean versus non-lean) and level of competition (Division I versus club).

I'm a coach or trainer. Can I use the EDSA to screen my athletes?

Yes! Please do! That's why we developed it!

I'm an athlete. What should I do if I took the EDSA and my score was greater than 3.33?

The EDSA is not a diagnostic tool, but your score suggests you may be at risk for an eating disorder. If you aren’t currently being treated for an eating disorder, we recommend that you:

• Be evaluated by a mental health professional

• Be evaluated by a medical doctor (if you haven’t recently seen your primary care provider)

• Consider seeing a registered dietitian who specializes in eating disorders treatment

Resources within the United States:

To talk to someone about your eating, call the National Alliance for Eating Disorders Helpline at (866) 662-1235 Monday-Friday, 9 am - 7 pm ET. 

To search treatment options, visit nationaleatingdisorders.org/find-treatment.

International resources:

To find help internationally, visit https://www.eatingdisorderhope.com/treatment-for-eating-disorders/international.