Weight Recovery in an Outpatient Medical Eating Disorders Clinic: A Retrospective Review.

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify rates of weight recovery among adolescents and young adults with restrictive eating disorders (RED) as part of a quality improvement assessment in an Adolescent Medicine outpatient clinic in Rhode Island.

Methods: A retrospective chart review was completed on 94 randomly selected patients ages 10-21 years old. Demographics, descriptors, time to weight recovery, and participation in other care were recorded.

Results: The average age of participants was 15 years; most were female, cis-gender, White, had private insurance, and had one or more co-morbid psychiatric diagnosis. At intake, 81% were <95% treatment goal weight (TGW), with 27% at <80% TGW. Among participants who started at <95% of TGW, 51% achieved ≥95% of TGW; participants who engaged in a higher level of care were more successful.

Conclusions: This study identifies outcomes and highlights the challenge of weight recovery among patients with RED, even when managed by an expert clinical team.