Estimating Treatment Goal Weights in Adolescents With Anorexia Nervosa and Atypical Anorexia Nervosa: Comparison of the Median BMI and Historical BMI Percentile

Determining an accurate treatment goal weight (TGW) is critical for treating eating disorders requiring weight restoration. This is challenging in adolescents since body mass index (BMI) normally increases over time. Median BMI (mBMI) is often used to determine TGW, though use of historical growth trajectories is increasingly common. Using the appropriate method to set TGW may be particularly important in treating individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) whose prior growth was substantially above or below the median, and in atypical anorexia (AAN) where prior growth is, by definition, above the median.