Eating Patterns in Youth with Restricting and Binge Eating/Purging Type Anorexia Nervosa

ObjectiveTo describe eating patterns in youth with restricting and binge/purge type anorexia nervosa (AN) and to examine whether eating patterns are associated with binge eating or purging behaviors. MethodParticipants included 160 children and adolescents (M=15.142.17 years) evaluated at The University of Chicago Eating Disorders Program who met criteria for DSM-5 restrictive type AN (AN-R; 75%; n=120) or binge eating/purging type AN (AN-BE/P; 25%; n=40). All participants completed the eating disorder examination on initial evaluation. ResultsYouth with AN-R and AN-BE/P differed in their eating patterns, such that youth with AN-R consumed meals and snacks more regularly relative to youth with AN-BE/P. Among youth with AN-BE/P, skipping dinner was associated with a greater number of binge eating episodes (r=-.379, p<.05), while skipping breakfast was associated with a greater number of purging episodes (r=-.309, p<.05). DiscussionYouth with AN-R generally follow a regular meal schedule, but are likely consuming insufficient amounts of food across meals and snacks. In contrast, youth with AN-BE/P tend to have more irregular eating patterns, which may play a role in binge eating and purging behaviors. Adults monitoring of meals may be beneficial for youth with AN, and particularly those with AN-BE/P who engage in irregular eating patterns. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2014; 47:878-883)