Brief Description
The Nine Item Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Screen (NIAS) is a concise assessment tool designed to identify symptoms of Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). ARFID is characterized by an individual's avoidance or restriction of food intake, leading to significant nutritional deficiencies, weight loss, and/or psychosocial impairments. The NIAS consists of nine questions that evaluate various aspects of eating behavior, including sensory sensitivities, lack of interest in eating, and fear of aversive consequences of eating. This screening tool is useful in both clinical and research settings to help identify individuals who may require further evaluation or intervention for ARFID.
Assessment Administration Type
Self-report
Number of questions
9
Age Range for Administration
No specific age given. Research suggests 10+.
Recommended Frequency of Administration
No recommended standard frequency. Blueprint recommends every two weeks or as clinically indicated.
Summary of Scoring and Interpretations
The Nine Item Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder Screen (NIAS) employs a straightforward scoring system to assess the severity and presence of ARFID symptoms. Each of the nine items is rated on a 6-point Likert scale, ranging from 0 (“Strongly Disagree”) to 6 (“Strongly Agree”). The total score is calculated by summing all item response scores and the total score ranges from 0 to 45. While there are no official cut-off scores, higher scores indicate greater likelihood and severity of ARFID symptoms. This assessment also has three subscales (see table below) and subscale scores are calculated by summing the corresponding item scores; subscale scores range from 0-15 and research has identified clinically significant cut-off scores for each subscale.
Subscale | Corresponding Items | Recommended Clinically Significant Cut-off scores |
Picky eating | 1, 2, 3 | ≥10 |
Appetite (lack of interest) | 4, 5, 6 | ≥9 |
Fear | 7, 8, 9 | ≥10 |
Blueprint Adjustments
N/A
Clinical Considerations
Estimated completion time: 1-2 minutes.
Validated for use with Trans, Gay, Nonbinary Youth and Young Adults.
Citation
Zickgraf, H. F., & Ellis, J. M. (2018). Initial validation of the Nine Item Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake disorder screen (NIAS): A measure of three restrictive eating patterns. Appetite, 123, 32–42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2017.11.111
Relevant Articles + Further Resources
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