Eating Disorders

The Centre for Pediatric Eating Disorder Research at CHEO is looking to evaluate the success of treatment programs, such as day treatment and inpatient programs. The project examines what type of patients use the services and aims to determine which patients get better, stay the same, or get worse, and why. Researchers are conducting a provincial multisite study investigating these questions and working toward a national multisite study. The team is also investigating whether a wait list intervention (interactive parent psychoeducation workshop and regular telephone support from a registered nurse specialized in eating disorders) for patients and families who are on a wait list actually improves patient outcomes. As well, researchers are examining the effects of psychopharmacology as an adjunctive treatment for Anorexia Nervosa.

In collaboration with other research teams, the Centre has a lead role in the REAL project. This is a research project examining eating and adolescent lifestyles with the goal to understanding the development of eating disorders and obesity within a joint theoretical framework.

Research Projects

The impact of COVID-19 on adolescents with eating disorders: a cohort study
04/06/2021

Further research is required to better understand the impact of the pandemic on the clinical course and outcomes of EDs in adolescents.
Cocreating research priorities for anorexia nervosa: The Canadian Eating Disorder Priority Setting Partnership
02/02/2020

This project, which closely followed the James Lind Alliance guidelines, solicited research priorities from the Canadian eating disorder community by means of a five‐step process including use of a survey, response collation, literature checking, interim ranking survey, and in‐person prioritization workshop.
Characteristics and clinical trajectories of patients meeting criteria for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder that are subsequently reclassified as anorexia nervosa
02/12/2019

Prospective longitudinal research that utilizes ARFID‐specific as well as traditional eating disorder diagnostic measures is required to better understand how patients with restrictive eating disorders that deny fear of weight gain can be differentiated and best treated.
Severe alcohol intoxication among Canadian Youth: A 2-year surveillance study
06/11/2019

Although rates of alcohol use in adolescents have been steadily decreasing, results from this surveillance study suggest that severe intoxication arising from the use of alcohol alone, and with concurrent substance use, results in significant immediate health consequences in young adolescents.
Development of the Ottawa Disordered Eating Screen for Youth: The ODES-Y
11/10/2019

Our findings suggest that the index test has utility as a short and accurate screening tool for earlier detection of disordered eating thoughts and behaviors in youth.
Use of cyproheptadine to stimulate appetite and body weight gain: A systematic review
27/02/2019

CY appears to be a safe, generally well-tolerated medication that has utility in helping facilitate weight gain in patients drawn from a variety of underweight populations. Future prospective randomized controlled studies in low weight patients that include objective measures of appetite and intake are needed to better understand the mechanism by which CY augments weight gain.