TY  -  JOUR
AU  -  Gjini, Enkeleda
AU  -  Terzoni, Stefano
AU  -  Carelli, Lara
AU  -  Ruta, Federico
AU  -  Melillo, Nicole
AU  -  Bertelli, Sara
AU  -  Gambini, Orsola
AU  -  D’Agostino, Armando
AU  -  Ferrara, Paolo
T1  -  Early identification of risk for eating disorders in Italian secondary school students: a cross-sectional study
PY  -  2024
Y1  -  2024-01-01
DO  -  10.1708/4205.41944
JO  -  Rivista di Psichiatria
JA  -  Riv Psichiatr
VL  -  59
IS  -  1
SP  -  13
EP  -  19
PB  -  Il Pensiero Scientifico Editore
SN  -  2038-2502
Y2  -  2026/04/29
UR  -  http://dx.doi.org/10.1708/4205.41944
N2  -  Summary. 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.
ER  -