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Picking and nibbling in children and adolescents with eating disorders
Author(s) -
Kass Andrea E.,
Accurso Erin C.,
Goldschmidt Andrea B.,
Anam Seeba,
Byrne Catherine E.,
Kinasz Kate,
Goodyear Alexandria,
O'Brien Setareh,
Le Grange Daniel
Publication year - 2015
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.22444
Subject(s) - psychology , eating disorders , developmental psychology , clinical psychology
Objective Picking and nibbling (P&N), defined as eating in an unplanned and repetitious way between meals and snacks, is prevalent among adults with eating disorders (EDs), but unexamined among youth with EDs. This study sought to assess the prevalence of P&N in youth with EDs and its association with ED and comorbid pathology. Method Youth ( N = 515; ages 7–18) who presented to one outpatient ED research‐clinical program were assessed for ED and comorbid pathology. Results Two‐fifths ( n = 214, 41.6%) of youth endorsed P&N. These individuals were older ( p < .001) and had a higher percent expected body weight ( p = .006) than those who denied P&N. Controlling for age and percent expected body weight, P&N was only associated with global ED pathology in youth with anorexia nervosa (AN) or atypical AN ( p = .007). P&N was not associated with ED diagnosis, ED pathology in youth with bulimia nervosa or subclinical bulimia nervosa, binge eating, compensatory behaviors, secret eating, or the presence of a mood or anxiety disorder ( p 's > .05). Discussion Consistent with research in adults, P&N is prevalent but not significantly associated with ED pathology, except for global ED pathology in youth with AN/atypical AN, or comorbid disorders. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2015; 48:1102–1105).