ObjectiveCompulsive exercise is a well‐known feature in eating disorders. The Exercise and Eating Disorder (EED) self‐report questionnaire was developed to assess aspects of compulsive exercise not adequately captured by existing instruments. This study aimed to test psychometric properties and the factor structure of the EED among women with eating disorders and a control group.MethodThe study included 449 female participants, including 244 eating disorders patients and 205 healthy controls. The patient group consisted of 32.4% (n = 79) AN patients, 23.4% (n = 57) BN, 34.4% (n = 84) EDNOS and 9.8% (n = 24) with BED diagnosis.ResultsThe analyses confirmed adequate psychometric properties of the EED, with a four‐factor solution: (1) compulsive exercise, (2) positive and healthy exercise, (3) awareness of bodily signals, and (4) weight and shape exercise. The EED discriminated significantly (p < .001) between patients and controls on the global score, subscales, and individual items. Test‐retest reliability was satisfactory (r = 0.86). Convergent validity was demonstrated by high correlations between the EED and the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE‐Q; r = 0.79).DiscussionThe EED is the first clinically derived, self‐report questionnaire to assess compulsive exercise among ED patients. The EED offers assessment that has broader clinical utility than existing instruments because it identifies treatment targets and treatment priorities. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2015; 48:983–993).

The integration of physiotherapy as an adjunctive treatment for patients with an eating disorder within psychiatric health care and rehabilitation may sound unusual. However, physiotherapists have specific expertise in both the 'body' and 'the body in movement', two important issues integral to eating disorder pathology. Based on our clinical practice and the current body of scientific evidence, a rationale and clinical guidance for incorporating physiotherapy into treatment for patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) is presented. Two main indications for physiotherapy are proposed for patients with AN: (1) the distorted body experience with a specific focus on perception, attitudes, and behavior, and (2) the compulsive and excessive engagement in physical activity characteristic of patients with AN. Physiotherapists have a wide array of skills and are encouraged to select those techniques (e.g. relaxation, breathing exercises, awareness exercise, and exercise programs) which are most individually relevant the patient to address the distorted body experience and hyperactivity typically seen in AN.

The preliminary test of the EED questionnaire was promising. It is a short instrument, and seems to distinguish well between patients and controls. EED captures other dimensions of physical activity and exercise disturbances not captured in other questionnaires related to exercise. Further research is needed to test the psychometric properties of EED in bigger samples.

This study investigated changes and predictors during inpatient treatment of 55 adult in a transdiagnostic sample of patients with eating disorders. Patients were assessed at admission and discharge with the Body Attitude Test (BAT), Symptom Check List 90 Revised, Circumplex of Interpersonal Problems, Body Mass Index (BMI) and Eating Disorder Inventory 2 (EDI-2). Significant changes were found in all measures. Regression analyses showed that BAT changes during treatment were the strongest predictor of EDI-2 changes. No predictors of changes in BMI were found. Improvement of body image is important for the efficacy of inpatient treatment.