Physiological, body composition, and body mass measures show that a developmental measure of weight suppression is more valid than the traditional measure.
Int J Eat Disord
; 57(7): 1599-1608, 2024 Jul.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38597163
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE:
The traditional measure of weight suppression (TWS; the difference between an individual's highest past weight at adult height and current weight), has been associated with many psychological, behavioral and biological variables in those with eating disorders. A new measure of weight suppression, called developmental weight suppression (DWS), corrects two major problems in the original measure. Initial research indicates that DWS represents a superior operationalization of the construct weight suppression was originally designed to measure (Lowe [1993, Psychol Bull, 114 100]). This study is the first to examine the relation between both WS measures and weight history, body composition and a variety of metabolic hormones.METHODS:
Data were collected in 91 women with bulimia nervosa (BN) or BN-spectrum disorders.RESULTS:
Both weight suppression indices were related to multiple hormones. However, multiple regression analyses showed that the independent effects of DWS differed from the independent effects of TWS in that only DWS was negatively related to (1) current z-BMI, (2) body fat percentage, and (3) insulin, leptin, T3 free, and TSH. This differential pattern also occurred when results were corrected for multiple comparisons.DISCUSSION:
Findings provide stronger biological support for the construct validity of DWS than TWS and suggest that (1) from the perspective of individuals with BN, high DWS embodies success at food restriction and weight loss, (2) elevated DWS may trap individuals with BN in a powerful biobehavioral bind, and (3) DWS is the preferred measure of weight suppression in future research on eating disorders. PUBLICSIGNIFICANCE:
Most individuals with bulimia nervosa lose substantial weight in the process of developing their disorder. Such weight suppression is related to many characteristics of those with the eating disorder bulimia nervosa. This study shows why a new measure of weight suppression, based on an individual's growth during development, is more biologically valid than the traditional measure of weight suppression.Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Composição Corporal
/
Índice de Massa Corporal
Limite:
Adolescent
/
Adult
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Female
/
Humans
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Int J Eat Disord
Ano de publicação:
2024
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Estados Unidos