Weight Gain in Anorexia Nervosa Across Age Groups in Higher Levels of Care

Eating disorders (EDs) have historically been thought of as afflictions of younger women, but EDs do occur in midlife/older adults, and the incidence of EDs among older women may be increasing. The present study sought to examine outcomes for patients with anorexia nervosa needing to weight restore across four age groups: under 18, 18-25, 26-39, and 40+. Based on prior research, it was hypothesized that there would be no differences between the age groups in percent of expected body weight (%EBW) gained during treatment. Participants were 2,491 patients receiving treatment for an ED at a large multisite treatment facility offering higher levels of care. At this treatment facility, EBW is individualized for each patient, considering a patient's premorbid body weight and historical weight trends. Adult patients ages 26-39 (t = -3.58, p < .001) and ages 40+ (t = -4.70, p < .001) had significantly lower improvements in %EBW compared to adult patients ages 18-25. Child and adolescent patients (under 18) had significantly greater improvements in %EBW than adult patients (t = 14.30, p < .001). Findings from the present study suggest that targeted treatments may need to be developed to increase weight gain in midlife/older adults. In addition, efforts may need to be strengthened to keep adults in treatment longer than they may initially want to, particularly when treatment and weight gain become difficult.