Classification of childhood onset eating disorders: A latent class analysis
This study tested the hypothesis that latent class analysis (LCA) would successfully classify eating disorder (ED) symptoms in children into categories that mapped onto DSM‐5 diagnoses and that these categories would be consistent across countries. Childhood onset ED cases were ascertained through p...
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| Published in: | The International journal of eating disorders Vol. 50; no. 6; pp. 657 - 664 |
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
United States
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
01-06-2017
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Get full text |
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| Summary: | This study tested the hypothesis that latent class analysis (LCA) would successfully classify eating disorder (ED) symptoms in children into categories that mapped onto DSM‐5 diagnoses and that these categories would be consistent across countries. Childhood onset ED cases were ascertained through prospective active surveillance by the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit, the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program, and the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit for 36, 24, and 14 months, respectively. Pediatricians and child psychiatrists reported symptoms of any child aged ≤ 12 years with a newly diagnosed restrictive ED. Descriptive analyses and LCA were performed separately for all three countries and compared. Four hundred and thirty‐six children were included in the analysis (Australia n = 70; Canada n = 160; United Kingdom n = 206). In each country, LCA revealed two distinct clusters, both of which presented with food avoidance. Cluster 1 (75%, 71%, 66% of the Australian, Canadian, and United Kingdom populations, respectively) presented with symptoms of greater weight preoccupation, fear of being fat, body image distortion, and over exercising, while Cluster 2 did not (all p < .05). Cluster 1 was older, had greater mean weight loss and was more likely to have been admitted to an inpatient unit and have unstable vital signs (all p < .01). Cluster 2 was more likely to present with a comorbid psychiatric disorder (p < .01). Clusters 1 and 2 closely resembled the DSM‐5 criteria for anorexia nervosa and avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, respectively. Symptomatology and distribution were remarkably similar among countries, which lends support to two separate and distinct restrictive ED diagnoses. |
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| Bibliography: | Funding information The authors gratefully acknowledge the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit, a partnership between the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Public Health England and University College London Institute of Child Health, which receives additional funding support from Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity and the Scottish Government, for facilitating the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland data collection. Funding for the United Kingdom arm of this study was provided by the Hyman Windgate Foundation. We thank all the child health specialists who participated in the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit data collection, particularly those who reported cases to this study. The Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit is a Unit of the Division of Paediatrics and Child Health, Royal Australasian College of Physicians, and is funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council Enabling Grant (No. 402784), the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, and the Faculty of Medicine, University of Sydney. We thank the Canadian Paediatric Society, all the Paediatricians across Canada and the Canadian Paediatric Surveillance Program, particularly Dr. Danielle Grenier, for support. Funding for the original Canadian data collection was provided by Health Canada. ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 |
| ISSN: | 0276-3478 1098-108X |
| DOI: | 10.1002/eat.22666 |