TORONTO — Disordered eating behaviors are common in obese adolescents seeking treatment and were associated with higher body mass index z scores at 6 months, in a small study.
This is the first study to consider the impact that disordered eating might have on adolescent obesity treatment, said Dr. Carolyn B. Jasik, a clinical research fellow in adolescent medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, at the annual meeting of the Society of Adolescent Health and Medicine.
Dr. Jasik and her colleagues conducted a chart review of 116 adolescents aged 12–18 years (mean age 14.7 years) who presented for weight management.
Disordered eating behaviors are those that do not meet criteria for clinical eating disorders and can lead to weight gain or loss. At intake, patients were screened for eight disordered eating behaviors in the last month: binge eating without loss of control, eating alone, hiding food, night eating, lying about intake, loss of control, binge eating with loss of control, and guilt or depression about food intake. At least one disordered eating behavior was reported by 63% of participants.
The study's main outcome was change in BMI z score between baseline and follow-up in the 52 participants (45%) who returned for follow-up within 6 months.
The mean change in BMI z score was –0.04. Patients without any disordered eating behavior showed a greater reduction in BMI z score (−0.09 vs. −0.01) and BMI (−0.9 vs. 0.11 points) than did those with at least one such behavior.
Disclosures: Dr. Jasik reported no financial conflicts of interest.