A nurse is providing education to a group of adolescents about eating disorders. Which statement by one of the participants indicates a need for further education?

The correct answer is C. Lack of interest in eating or food.

Anorexia nervosa is characterized by a severe restriction of food intake due to an intense fear of gaining weight, a distorted body image, and a lack of interest in eating despite physical hunger. Individuals with anorexia often engage in extreme dieting, excessive exercise, and other behaviors to maintain an abnormally low body weight.

Here’s why the other options are incorrect:

• A. Recurrent episodes of binge eating – This is more characteristic of bulimia nervosa or binge-eating disorder, where individuals consume large amounts of food and may compensate through purging or extreme dieting.

• B. Normal or slightly above normal body weight – Individuals with anorexia nervosa typically have a low body weight (often significantly underweight due to food restriction), unlike bulimia, where weight may be in the normal or above-normal range.

• D. Repeated regurgitation of food – This is characteristic of rumination disorder, a separate condition in which individuals repeatedly bring up swallowed food without nausea or distress.

Choice A rationale:

Significant weight loss or failure to achieve expected weight gain is consistent with the diagnosis of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) ARFID is characterized by a lack of interest in eating or food, avoidance based on sensory characteristics of food, concern about the aversive consequences of eating, and avoidance of foods due to a previous negative experience. This avoidance can lead to inadequate nutrient intake and, consequently, significant weight loss or the inability to achieve expected weight gain, especially in children.

Choice B rationale:

Recurrent episodes of binge eating followed by inappropriate compensatory behaviors are not indicative of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) This behavior is more characteristic of bulimia nervosa, which involves cycles of binge eating followed by behaviors like vomiting, laxative use, or excessive exercise to compensate for the overeating.

Choice C rationale:

Persistent eating of nonnutritive, nonfood substances is a characteristic of pica disorder, not avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) Pica involves the consumption of substances such as dirt, paint, hair, or cloth, which have no nutritional value.

Choice D rationale:

Repeated regurgitation of food is a characteristic of rumination disorder, not avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) Rumination disorder involves the regurgitation of food that is then either re-chewed, re-swallowed, or spit out, without an associated medical condition.