Trajectories of Change in Body Weight During Inpatient Treatment for Anorexia Nervosa.

This was a retrospective chart review, so the researchers did not control how weight, intake, or discharge decisions were made in real time. Diagnoses came from unstructured interviews by different clinicians, and males may be underdiagnosed with anorexia nervosa rather than unspecified eating disorders. The sample came from one proprietary treatment facility and was 91.4% Caucasian and 90.4% female, so the patterns may not apply to other settings or populations. The trajectory model gives probabilities of group membership rather than proving that separate real groups exist. Some data were missing, including daily weights for 13 participants, and no imputation was used. The analysis did not control for length of stay because length of stay was an outcome.

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest. The supplied publication types indicate NIH extramural and non-U.S. government research support, but the text does not state that the funder designed the study or wrote the manuscript.

Do not conclude that a lower calorie prescription caused a weight trajectory or that the treatment resistant group proves treatment failure. Patients also received supervised meals, nutrition education, milieu therapy, medical and psychiatric evaluations, and, when needed, liquid nutrition supplement or nasogastric feeding. The study did not test which part affected weight, and overall change in body weight did not differ between groups.