Early identification of risk for eating disorders in Italian secondary school students: a cross-sectional study

Aim. Eating disorders are major illnesses that primarily affect adolescents and young adults and seriously threaten public health. Early identification of at-risk individuals and timely initiation of treatment is crucial to improve outcomes. The Inside Out Institute Screener (IOI-S) is a rapid self-administration screening tool for high-risk and early-stage eating disorders. This study aimed to investigate the risk of having an eating disorder in a sample of Italian students by testing the Italian version of the IOI-S. Methods. A multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted in a population of students aged 12-19 years; validity and reliability of the IOI-Sita were investigated. Results. Four-hundred and ninety-one (81.97%) students were enrolled, 24.85% of whom were found to be at “very high risk” of an eating disorder, according to IOI-Sita. Younger (p<0.001) and female (p<0.001) students had higher risk scores. The EFA confirmed the original monodimensional structure of the tool, S-CVI=0.95%. The Content Validity Index of the scale (S-CVI) was 0.95, ω coefficient was 0.927. Discussion and conclusions. This research confirms the need to screen for eating disorders in Italian youth adequately; the psychometric properties of the IOI-Sita confirm it as a valid and reliable tool for screening high-risk and early-stage eating disorders.