Restrictive
You deliberately restrict food to lose weight or not gain weight: counting, skipping meals, refusing offered food. Constant restrictions often alternate with breakdowns.
What the DEBQ test shows
The Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) was created by Dutch researchers led by T. van Strien in 1986. It does not look for disease but describes your eating style: what most often causes you to eat more or less than your body needs.
The questionnaire is often used by dietitians and psychologists at the beginning of work with weight and eating behaviour. The result helps to understand what to work on: strict restrictions, emotional eating, or reaction to external cues.
Three types of eating behaviour
Emotional
The desire to eat arises in response to anxiety, irritation, sadness, loneliness, or boredom. Food becomes a way to calm down rather than a response to hunger.
External
Appetite is triggered by the sight and smell of food, a bakery display, or what others are eating. You eat because food is nearby, not because you are hungry.
How the result is calculated
Each answer scores from 1 (“never”) to 5 (“very often”). Scores are added up separately for three scales: restrained eating (questions 1–10), emotional eating (11–23) and external eating (24–33). Question 31 (“Can you resist eating delicious foods?”) is scored in reverse.
References 24, 23, and 27 points are average indicators of people with normal weight from the original study. A score above the reference means that this type of behaviour is more pronounced in you than on average. This is not a diagnosis and not 'bad': the test shows what to pay attention to.
The questions are the English version of the DEBQ (van Strien et al., 1986), grouped by scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the DEBQ result a diagnosis?
No. The questionnaire describes the style of eating behaviour but does not make a diagnosis. The conclusion is made by the doctor after talking with you.
How long does the test take?
Usually 5–7 minutes: 33 short questions with five answer options.
Are my responses sent anywhere?
No. Scores are calculated in your browser, we do not store answers. The PDF report is created on your device.
I have a score above the reference. What should I do?
Save the PDF report and discuss it with a dietitian. Together it is easier to understand where this behaviour comes from and what to do about it.
Can the test be retaken?
Yes. Retaking the test after a few weeks of working on nutrition helps to see changes.
Other tests
Test · 10 questions
Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2)
TakeDoctorViktoriia Shulika, medical doctor and dietitian
About the doctorSource: T. van Strien, J. E. R. Frijters, G. P. A. Bergers, P. B. Defares. The Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ) for assessment of restrained, emotional, and external eating behavior. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 1986, 5(2), 295–315.
Discuss the result with a doctor.
Viktoriia Shulika is a medical doctor and dietitian at the centre who works with eating disorders. Leave your number — our administrator will call you back and arrange an online consultation.