The Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI-II) is a widely used measure of eating disordered attitudes and behaviors that is used to evaluate treatment success in eating disorder (ED) intervention studies. However, attitudes (affective judgments) and behaviors (observable activities) are discrete concepts that have been conceptually blurred in this work. A large body of research has shown that attitudes are not synonymous with, nor do they reliably predict behavior (Eagly & Chaiken, 1998). An analysis of the four main EDI-II subscales (Ineffectiveness [IE], Body Dissatisfation [BD], Drive for Thinness [DT], and Bulimia [BUL]) revealed marked differences in content of the items, with three subscales (IE, BD, and DT) including only attitudinal items, and one subscale, (BUL) including only behavioral items. This study investigated the relationship between the EDI-II subscales and independent measures of ED behavior and self-esteem, an overall self-attitude. The EDI-II and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1965) were administered to 45 women with an eating disorder of anorexia or bulimia nervosa. ED behaviors (bingeing, vomiting, laxative, diuretic, and diet pill use, and exercising) were recorded as they occurred using a PalmPilot for 22 days. The BUL subscale that is comprised of behavioral items was correlated with two ED behaviors: bingeing (r=.36, p<.02) and vomiting (r=.26, p=.08), but not to self-esteem (r=-.19, p=ns). Two of three EDI-II subscales that are comprised of attitudinal items (IE and DT) were inversely correlated with self-esteem as predicted (IE: r=-.75, p<.001, DT: r=-.31, p<.03); BD was not significant: r=-.22, p=.13. Only one of three attitudinal scales (IE) was correlated with ED behaviors (laxative use (r=.52, p<.001), diuretic use (r=.36, p<.02) and exercise (r=.34, p<.03). Results provide evidence of convergent validity for EDI-II subscales being differentially associated with ED attitudes and behaviors. Studies using the EDI-II to evaluate treatment success should distinguish between ED attitudes and behaviors.
Session #1191 - Nutrition: Assessment & Intervention
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)