Initial evaluation of a single-item screener to assess problematic dietary restriction

Purpose: Existing measures to assess restrictive eating conflate both problematic and healthy restrictive practices, and perceived restriction without reduced caloric intake. In this study, we devised and tested the utility of a single-item screener, the Dietary Restriction Screener (DRS), to assess problematic restriction. Methods: 94 individuals completed the DRS and measures assessing eating disorder symptoms, preoccupations, and rituals. Participants were given access to an ad libitum single-item test snack. Linear regressions were conducted to evaluate whether the DRS predicted eating disorder symptoms and snack intake after controlling for relevant covariates and a commonly used restraint scale. Results: The DRS significantly predicted eating disorder symptoms (p < 0.001), preoccupations (p < 0.001), rituals (p = 0.001), and snack intake (p = 0.017) above covariates and an existing restraint scale. Conclusions: The DRS may offer added utility in predicting problematic dietary restriction over existing measures and is beneficial due to its brevity and low burden.