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

Part of paid clinical trials in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Sponsor
Milton S. Hershey Medical Center
Study ID
NCT06085092
Status
Recruiting
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Conditions

  • Anorexia Nervosa
  • Eating Disorders

Eligibility Criteria

Sex
ALL
Age
12 Years - 24 Years
Healthy Volunteers
Not accepted

Interventions

  • Open weighing — BEHAVIORAL
    The open-weighing intervention aims to challenge beliefs about weight gain. The study coordinator (SC) will explain open weighing, discuss any concerns you have about your weight, and construct a weight graph with the number of weeks on the x-axis and weight in pounds on the y-axis. The SC will help identify beliefs about gaining weight, which will be written on a Feared Outcomes Form. The SC will ask you to predict your weight, mark the weight prediction on the graph, weigh you on a standing scale, record your weight, and discuss your responses to seeing your weight, including any reasons for a difference between your predicted and actual weight. Each week, the SC will graph your actual and predicted weights over time and discuss anything that you are learning from this process. The SC will ask you to complete the Feared Outcomes Form once per day over the next week, review it each week, and talk to you about what you are learning from this process.
  • Blind weighing — BEHAVIORAL
    The blind weighing intervention aims to help you see self-weighing as an eating disorder symptom that you should stop, and that weight is not important to your identity or self-esteem. To do this, the study coordinator will explain why blind weighing might be helpful. You will then be asked to step backwards on a standing scale. The study coordinator will record your weight but will not share your weight information with you. The study coordinator will discourage you from thinking or talking about your weight.

Study Details

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.

Key Dates

Start date
Oct 31, 2023
Status verified
Sep 2025
Primary completion
Jun 30, 2026
Completion
Jun 30, 2026

Study Design

Enrollment
70 participants (estimated)
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT

Arms

  • Experimental: Open weighing
    The open-weighing intervention aims to challenge beliefs about weight gain. The study coordinator (SC) will explain open weighing, discuss any concerns you have about your weight, and construct a weight graph with the number of weeks on the x-axis and weight in pounds on the y-axis. The SC will help identify beliefs about gaining weight, which will be written on a Feared Outcomes Form. The SC will ask you to predict your weight, mark the weight prediction on the graph, weigh you on a standing scale, record your weight, and discuss your responses to seeing your weight, including any reasons for a difference between your predicted and actual weight. Each week, the SC will graph your actual and predicted weights over time and discuss anything that you are learning from this process. The SC will ask you to complete the Feared Outcomes Form once per day over the next week, review it each week, and talk to you about what you are learning from this process.
  • Active Comparator: Blind weighing
    The blind weighing intervention aims to help you see self-weighing as an eating disorder symptom that you should stop, and that weight is not important to your identity or selfesteem. To do this, the study coordinator will explain why blind weighing might be helpful. You will then be asked to step backwards on a standing scale. The study coordinator will record your weight, but will not share your weight information with you. The study coordinator will discourage you from thinking or talking about your weight.

Primary Outcome Measure

Eating Disorder Examination - Self-Report Questionnaire (EDE-Q) [ Time Frame: Admission-Baseline ]

Central Contacts

Locations (1)

FacilityCityStateZIPSite coordinators
905 W Govener RdHersheyPennsylvania17033
Jamal Essayli, Ph.D
[email protected]
717-531-0003

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905 W Govener Rd· Hershey, PA

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