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Patterns of weight change after treatment for bulimia nervosa
Author(s) -
Carter Frances A.,
McIntosh Virginia V.W.,
Joyce Peter R.,
Gendall Kelly A.,
Frampton Christopher M.A.,
Bulik Cynthia M.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/eat.20021
Subject(s) - bulimia nervosa , underweight , overweight , body mass index , weight gain , weight loss , psychology , anorexia nervosa , weight change , pediatrics , medicine , body weight , psychiatry , eating disorders , obesity
Objective The current study examined changes in weight and body mass index (BMI) at 5‐year follow‐up among women treated for bulimia nervosa. Method The study comprised 80 women who had participated in a randomized clinical trial evaluating cognitive‐behavior therapy for bulimia nervosa. The women had attended assessments at posttreatment and at 5‐year follow‐up while not pregnant. Results Changes in mean weight and BMI between posttreatment and 5‐year follow‐up were small in absolute terms and were not statistically significant. However, by the 5‐year follow‐up, approximately one half of the participants had either lost (31%) or gained (18%) 5 or more kilograms or were underweight (31%) or overweight (24%) as defined by BMI. Univariate analyses suggest that it is the patients who gain weight over the follow‐up that are distinctive. Patients who gained weight over the follow‐up were more likely to have commenced menstruation at a younger age, to have a lifetime history of being heavier, and to have been heavier and more dissatisfied with their body at pretreatment, posttreatment, and at 5‐year follow‐up. Conclusion Five years after treatment for bulimia nervosa, approximately one half of the participants had changed substantially in weight. For those who had changed, weight loss was more common than weight gain. © 2004 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 36: 12–21, 2004.