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Behavioral Intervention

Open vs. Blind Weighing for Eating Disorders

N/A

Recruiting

Led By Jamal Essayli, Ph.D

Research Sponsored by Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Eligibility Criteria Checklist

Specific guidelines that determine who can or cannot participate in a clinical trial

Must have

Participants must also present with an eating disorder (ED) diagnosis that is characterized by anxiety about weight gain, such as anorexia nervosa (AN), Bulimia nervosa (BN), or their subthreshold presentations captured under the other specific feeding or eating disorder (OSFED) category

Participants must be between the ages of 12 - 24 years who have been admitted to either the adolescent or young adult Partial Hospital Program (PHP) for eating disorders (EDs) at Penn State Hershey

Must not have

Individuals with a diagnosis of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, as these individuals do not experience anxiety about weight gain, will be excluded.

Participants will be excluded if they are above the age of 24 or below the age of 12 years

Timeline

Screening 3 weeks

Treatment Varies

Follow Up discharge: no longer than 60 weeks

Awards & highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

Summary

This trial studies a new way to help teens/young adults with eating disorders manage their anxiety about weight gain, in hopes of improving their outcomes.

Who is the study for?

This trial is for English-speaking adolescents and young adults aged 12-24 with eating disorders like anorexia nervosa or bulimia, who are anxious about weight gain. They must be admitted to the Partial Hospital Program at Penn State Hershey. It's not for those under 12 or over 24, non-English speakers, people with cognitive impairments, or those without anxiety about weight gain.

What is being tested?

The study tests 'open weighing' versus 'blind weighing' to see which method better helps reduce anxiety about weight gain in young patients with eating disorders. The goal is to find more effective personalized treatments by understanding how these interventions work.

What are the potential side effects?

Since this trial involves psychological approaches rather than medication, traditional side effects aren't expected. However, participants may experience varying levels of emotional discomfort related to their feelings about weight during the intervention.

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

You may be eligible if you check “Yes” for the criteria below

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I have an eating disorder with concerns about gaining weight.

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I am aged 12-24 and admitted to the Penn State Hershey program for eating disorders.

Exclusion Criteria

You may be eligible for the trial if you check “No” for criteria below:

Select...

I do not have a diagnosis of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder.

Select...

I am between 12 and 24 years old.

Timeline

Screening ~ 3 weeks3 visits

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~ discharge: no longer than 60 weeks

Screening ~ 3 weeks

Treatment ~ Varies

Follow Up ~discharge: no longer than 60 weeks

This trial's timeline: 3 weeks for screening, Varies for treatment, and discharge: no longer than 60 weeks for reporting.

Treatment Details

Study Objectives

Study objectives can provide a clearer picture of what you can expect from a treatment.

Primary study objectives

Approach / Avoidance of Weighing Questionnaire (AAWQ)

Approach / Avoidance of weighing Questionnaire (AAWQ)

Body Image State Scale (BISS)

+8 more

Secondary study objectives

Credibility Scale (CS)

Personal Reactions to the Rationale questionnaire (PRR)

Awards & Highlights

No Placebo-Only Group

All patients enrolled in this study will receive some form of active treatment.

Trial Design

2Treatment groups

Experimental Treatment

Active Control

Group I: Open weighingExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

The open-weighing intervention aims to challenge beliefs about weight gain. The study coordinator (SC) will explain open weighing, discuss any concerns you have about your weight, and construct a weight graph with the number of weeks on the x-axis and weight in pounds on the y-axis. The SC will help identify beliefs about gaining weight, which will be written on a Feared Outcomes Form. The SC will ask you to predict your weight, mark the weight prediction on the graph, weigh you on a standing scale, record your weight, and discuss your responses to seeing your weight, including any reasons for a difference between your predicted and actual weight. Each week, the SC will graph your actual and predicted weights over time and discuss anything that you are learning from this process. The SC will ask you to complete the Feared Outcomes Form once per day over the next week, review it each week, and talk to you about what you are learning from this process.

Group II: Blind weighingActive Control1 Intervention

The blind weighing intervention aims to help you see self-weighing as an eating disorder symptom that you should stop, and that weight is not important to your identity or selfesteem. To do this, the study coordinator will explain why blind weighing might be helpful. You will then be asked to step backwards on a standing scale. The study coordinator will record your weight, but will not share your weight information with you. The study coordinator will discourage you from thinking or talking about your weight.

0 / 4Eligibility criteria met