Target weight at discharge for children receiving their first inpatient treatment for an eating disorder.

Purpose: There is no consensus regarding the optimal target weight for discharge during the hospitalization of children with eating disorders (EDs). We attempted to identify the ideal discharge weight for children receiving their first inpatient treatment for anorexia nervosa (AN) or avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID).

Patients and methods: Sixty children (mean age: 12.8 years) diagnosed with either AN (49 children) or ARFID (11 children) were followed for 1 year after discharge from a psychiatric ward. We analyzed the percent of ideal body weight (%IBW) at discharge, along with physical and social factors, to predict weight outcomes and rehospitalization risk during the first year after discharge. Longitudinal weight trends were assessed, and Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to analyze the time to rehospitalization.

Results: Single and multiple regression analyses identified the %IBW at discharge as the sole significant predictor of %IBW at 1 year. A receiver operating characteristic curve determined that 86.4%IBW at discharge was the optimal predictor of achieving 90%IBW by 1-year post-discharge. Patients who had achieved ≥ 86.4%IBW at discharge showed better weight trajectories compared with those discharged at < 86.4%IBW. A higher discharge %IBW was associated with prolonged time to rehospitalization, indicating a reduced risk of readmission.

Conclusions: Discharging pediatric patients at a higher weight is associated with improved weight recovery and a reduced risk of rehospitalization. A target discharge weight of 86.4%IBW may serve as an effective criterion for children with EDs.

Level of evidence: III, case-control analytic studies.