# Eating Disorder Screening and Diagnostic Tools for the Veteran Healthcare System

> **NIH VA I01** · VA CONNECTICUT HEALTHCARE SYSTEM · 2020 · —

## Abstract

Eating disorders are serious psychiatric disorders that are associated with a range of significant health
problems, including elevated mortality and suicide rates. A recent systematic review found prevalence rates of
eating disorders among Veteran and Service Members to be comparable to or higher than prevalence
estimates for the general population. Our pilot data, as well as published data by others, has demonstrated that
15-25% of Veterans meet diagnostic criteria for eating disorders when assessed, in contrast to Veteran
electronic medical record data that reveals eating disorders are underdiagnosed. At the same time, the
proportion of Veterans in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) with eating disorders are increasing due to
several factors, including the growing number of women in the military, expansions of eating disorder
diagnostic criteria, and increasing numbers of Veterans affected by risk factors for eating disorders that are
characteristic of military life. Although eating disorders are not thought of as service-related conditions that may
also impact male Veterans, poor eating habits under stressful conditions while in the military can set the
foundation for disordered eating behavior and trajectories of weight gain post-military in both female and male
Veterans. Currently, there are no VHA recommended guidelines for eating disorder screening or diagnosis.
Consequently, eating disorders in Veterans may be undetected, resulting in insufficient or delayed treatment,
and in the worst case, premature death. Eating disorders identification and treatment has been identified as a
top priority by facility-level stakeholders from mental health. In response, VHA Mental Health Services and
Women’s Health Services are disseminating a clinician training program for the multidisciplinary care of eating
disorders. While the ultimate goal is to implement this training nationwide, the health services challenge is how
to best establish a clinical pathway that includes targeted screening and diagnosis to best identify Veterans
who need this specialty care. Our goal is to develop an evidence-based clinical pathway to identify eating
disorders in the Veteran population that will aid in standardizing care and improving outcomes for Veterans.
We will use a mixed methods approach with three specific aims. The first aim will be to further develop and
validate a primary care eating disorder screen for DSM-5 that is generalizable for Veterans. The second aim
will be to validate a self-report measure of eating disorders that assesses for all DSM-5 diagnostic criteria and
is generalizable for Veterans. The third aim will be to assess how to best implement the screen and measure
across VHA for clinical practice. In our quantitative study (Aims 1 and 2), we will recruit Veterans from the San
Francisco VA Healthcare System and VA Connecticut Healthcare System. Veterans (N=400) will complete a
series of questionnaires to identify eating disorder symptoms. A ra...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9842289
- **Project number:** 5I01HX002563-02
- **Recipient organization:** VA CONNECTICUT HEALTHCARE SYSTEM
- **Principal Investigator:** Shira Maguen
- **Activity code:** I01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-12-01 → 2022-11-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9842289

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9842289, Eating Disorder Screening and Diagnostic Tools for the Veteran Healthcare System (5I01HX002563-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9842289. Licensed CC0.

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