Validated the EDI in Arabic. 118 healthy female Saudi school students completed the EDI and underwent a semi-structured interview by a psychiatrist who was unaware of the EDI scores. The difference between the 2 diagnostic methods in the proportion of caseness was statistically significant. The scores on Perfectionism, Maturity Fears and Interoceptive Awareness were significantly higher in the Saudi students compared with Canadians. The Drive for Thinness subscale has a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 85%. Despite its low positive predictive value of 5%, it may be useful for screening large nonclinical groups for eating disorders.