Open vs. Blind Weighing Study In Adolescents and Young Adult With Eating Disorders

Description

Current treatments for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with eating disorders (EDs) do not effectively address a central ED symptom - anxiety about weight gain - which contributes to poor outcomes. The proposed study evaluates the feasibility, acceptability, efficacy, and underlying mechanisms of an enhanced version of "open weighing," a cognitive-behavioral intervention designed to target anxiety about weight gain in AYAs with EDs. Understanding how to better treat AYAs with EDs, and identifying the mechanisms by which interventions lead to improvement, will aid in the development of more effective and personalized treatments, ultimately improving the lives of AYAs with EDs.

Conditions

Eating Disorders, Anorexia Nervosa

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Study Overview

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Study Details

Study overview

Current treatments for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with eating disorders (EDs) do not effectively address a central ED symptom - anxiety about weight gain - which contributes to poor outcomes. The proposed study evaluates the feasibility, acceptability, efficacy, and underlying mechanisms of an enhanced version of "open weighing," a cognitive-behavioral intervention designed to target anxiety about weight gain in AYAs with EDs. Understanding how to better treat AYAs with EDs, and identifying the mechanisms by which interventions lead to improvement, will aid in the development of more effective and personalized treatments, ultimately improving the lives of AYAs with EDs.

Evaluating Open Weighing and Blind Weighing in the Treatment of Adolescents and Young Adults With Eating Disorders

Open vs. Blind Weighing Study In Adolescents and Young Adult With Eating Disorders

Condition
Eating Disorders
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Hershey

905 W Govener Rd, Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States, 17033

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * Participants must be English speakers.
  • * 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.
  • * 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 will be excluded if they are above the age of 24 or below the age of 12 years.
  • * Participants who have been identified as non-English speakers.
  • * Participants with cognitive impairment will also be excluded from participation.
  • * Potential participants will be excluded if they do not meet the diagnostic inclusion criteria noted above.
  • * individuals with a diagnosis of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, as these individuals do not experience anxiety about weight gain will be excluded.

Ages Eligible for Study

12 Years to 24 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Collaborators and Investigators

Milton S. Hershey Medical Center,

Jamal Essayli, Ph.D, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Penn State University

Study Record Dates

2025-06-30