Screen for Early Eating Disorder Signs (SEEDS)

The Screen for Early Eating Disorder Signs (SEEDS) is a brief self-assessment screening tool designed for use in clinical practice or research to identify or confirm suspected eating disorder risk. In the original version it has 20 items, in the Czech adaptation it contains 19 items (item 20 was excluded because it did not match the identified factors). The 19 items are divided into three factors: Body Image, which includes seven items focusing on subjective assessment of one’s own physical appearance and body weight; Feelings, which focuses on one’s perception of one’s own mood and stress management in seven items; and Quality of Life, which looks at satisfaction with life and one’s relationship with one’s immediate social environment (five items).

Length of completion

The whole questionnaire takes 2-5 minutes to complete.

Individualized feedback for the respondent

Once the questionnaire has been assessed, the respondent will know if he/she is at risk for an eating disorder so that early intervention can be initiated to prevent or alleviate it, if necessary.

Keywords

Screen for Early Eating Disorder Signs, SEEDS, eating disorder, physical appearance, feelings, quality of life

Scoring and interpretation

Total and subscale scores are obtained by summing the scores for each item (1-7). Higher scores indicate a higher risk of an eating disorder.

Response Scale

Respondents answer on a seven-point Likert scale that is anchored verbally by what the item asks (e.g., “Very sad” (7) to “Very happy” (1)).

References

Powers, M. A., Richter, S., Ackard, D., & Craft, C. (2016). Development and validation of the Screen for Early Eating Disorder Signs (SEEDS) in persons with type 1 diabetes. Eating disorders, 24(3), 271–288. https://doi.org/10.1080/10640266.2015.1090866

Screen for Early Eating Disorder Signs (SEEDS). (2019). Health Partner Institute. https://www.healthpartners.com/institute/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/SEEDS_Background_Info.pdf

Sikorová, L., & Valiašková, T. (2020). Psychometric properties of the Czech version of the tool – screening for early eating disorder signs (SEEDS-CZ). Cent Eur J Nurs Midw, 11(3), 105-112. 10.15452/cejnm.2020.11.0016