Eating patterns in youth with restricting and binge eating/purging type anorexia nervosa

Objective To 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. Method Participants included 160 children and adolescents ( M  = 15.14 ± 2.17 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. Results Youth 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). Discussion Youth 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. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2014; 47:878–883)