Quality of life
The Medical Outcomes Survey Short-form Health Survey (SF-36) [5] is a 36-item measure of everyday functioning ability. The eight dimensions assessed include Physical Functioning, Role Physical, Bodily Pain, General Health, Vitality, Social Functioning, Mental Health, and Role Emotional. Two summary measures used in this scale were the physical health component summary (PCS) and the mental health component summary (MCS). Low scores indicate greater impairment in QOL, and high scores indicate less impairment in QOL. The summary scores have been shown to be valid measures and high in internal consistency (Cronbach’s alphas: PCS = .92, MCS = .88) [25]. Both summary measures of the SF-36 have been shown to be useful tools for measuring the severity and deterioration of health in patients with eating disorders