Yale Food Addiction Scale
The 2009 Yale Food Addiction Scale is a 25-item self-report. It reports a symptom count from 0 to 7 and a separate impairment criterion. It does not assign a diagnosis.
Overview
What is the YFAS?
YFAS organises the past 12 months of eating certain foods for clinician review. Questions 17, 18 and 23 are primers and are not scored. It does not replace eating-disorder or medical assessment.
Development and clinical use
Gearhardt, Corbin and Brownell published the Yale Food Addiction Scale in 2009. Item text follows that form. Dichotomous cut-offs and criterion groups follow the MDM 41382 scoring key. Questions 26 and 27 are on the form and are outside this scored measure.
- Catalogue status
- Educational entry
- Production scoring
- Not independently verified
- Mode
- self-report
- Typical use
- Clinician-reviewed intake
- Clinical role
- Eating-behaviour screening support
Administration
A focused client experience
YFAS is completed as a focused self-report and stored for clinician review. This public page does not collect answers or return a score.
- One question at a time with visible progress
- Large keyboard-operable response choices
- Previous, next, and answer-review steps
- Clear confirmation that results go to the clinic
The illustration shows layout only. It does not reproduce YFAS item wording.
Report showcase
Designed to make evidence easy to review
The downloadable synthetic example illustrates report layout using invented response patterns, without patient data or instrument questions.
- Named instrument, version, and provenance
- Item-level response pattern without source wording
- Methodology, references, and clinical boundary
- Responsible clinician review rather than automated conclusions
Clinician review required
Methodology
Understand the measure and its scoring conventions
Frequency items are dichotomized at the published cut-offs, and the yes or no items are scored as published, including the reverse of item 24. Seven symptom groups are each scored 0 or 1, and the symptom count is their sum, from 0 to 7. Impairment or distress is a separate criterion from questions 15 and 16. The form's dichotomous rule is left to the clinician. No diagnosis is produced.
References
- 2009 YFAS formGearhardt AN, Corbin WR, Brownell KD. Yale Food Addiction Scale. 2009.
- Scoring keyMedical Data Models. MDM 41382, Yale Food Addiction Scale scoring.
- Original YFAS paperGearhardt AN, Corbin WR, Brownell KD. Preliminary validation of the Yale Food Addiction Scale. Appetite. 2009;52(2):430-436.
Questions
What clinics ask before they evaluate the YFAS
These answers stay inside educational catalogue scope. They do not replace official manuals or clinician judgement.
Does YFAS diagnose food addiction?
No. It reports a symptom count and an impairment criterion. Diagnostic formulation remains a clinician task.
Can I complete YFAS here?
No. This page does not collect answers.
Is YFAS the same as AUDIT?
No. AUDIT is an alcohol screen. YFAS is a food-related questionnaire.
Are all 25 questions scored?
No. Questions 17, 18 and 23 are primers and are not scored.