Open Versus Concealed Weighing: Feasibility and Acceptability of a Pilot Study of Adults With Anorexia Nervosa in Residential Treatment.

OBJECTIVE: This pilot study examined the feasibility and acceptability of conducting a comparative trial of open versus concealed weighing in a U.S. residential treatment programme for adults with anorexia nervosa (AN). METHOD: Thirty-four participants were assigned to either open (n = 18) or concealed (n = 16) weighing. Feasibility was assessed through recruitment and retention; acceptability was evaluated using patient-reported responses on a 14-item Patient Experience with Weighing (PEW) questionnaire. A single item measuring Fear of Knowing Weight (FKW) was used to examine how fear changed across weighing methods. RESULTS: Recruitment was adequate in both conditions, though enrolment was higher in the open weighing arm (75% vs. 58%). No participants withdrew from the open group, whereas 54% of those in the concealed group discontinued. Both groups rated their weighing method as somewhat helpful. Reductions in FKW were significantly greater in the open weighing group (b = -2.57, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate that a controlled comparison of weighing procedures is feasible in residential care for AN. While both methods were viewed as somewhat helpful, open weighing showed stronger associations with reduced fear of knowing weight. Familiarity with a weighing method may be an important factor to consider when introducing or changing weighing practices.

Duke Scholars

Author Daniel Blalock Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Behavioral Medicine & Neur ...