Weight/Shape concerns in youth with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID)

Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) is distinct from other restrictive eating disorders in that body image disturbance or fear of weight gain do not drive restrictive eating. ARFID occurs across the full weight spectrum and youth with ARFID may still experience body weight/shape concerns, not necessarily pathological like body image disturbance is, but research is currently very limited. The current study examined how body weight/shape concerns vary across the full weight spectrum in youth with ARFID. As an exploratory aim, this study also assessed whether body weight/shape concerns differ by ARFID subtypes, age, and gender. Participants included 272 youth between the ages of 8 and 19 presenting for ARFID care at an urban pediatric hospital. Non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis tests were used to examine relations between weight/shape concerns and weight status (i.e. underweight, normal weight, overweight/obesity), ARFID subtypes, age, and gender. Results showed that youth with ARFID and overweight/obesity weight status endorsed greater weight/shape concerns than those with ARFID and normal and underweight statuses (<i>p</i> = .009). Youth who identified as gender identity other than male or female endorsed greater weight/shape concerns than those identifying as cis-male or cis-female (<i>p</i> = .01). However, there were no differences in weight/shape concerns by age or ARFID subtype. These findings demonstrate body weight/shape concerns among youth with ARFID, especially those with overweight/obesity weight status and who are gender diverse.