Can seeing the scale help teens with eating disorders? new study tests open weighing
NCT ID NCT06085092
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study compares two ways of weighing teens and young adults with eating disorders like anorexia: open weighing (where they see their weight and talk about fears) and blind weighing (where they don't see it). The goal is to see if open weighing reduces anxiety about weight gain, a core symptom that often makes treatment harder. About 70 participants in a partial hospital program will be randomly assigned to one method, and researchers will track changes in eating disorder symptoms, fear of food, and body image over time.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- open weighing (a behavioral intervention where patients see their weight and discuss fears)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a simple, low-cost way to reduce a core fear in eating disorders, making treatment more effective.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study (70 people) testing a behavioral technique, not a drug. Results may not apply to all patients, and the intervention may not reduce anxiety more than standard care.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 70 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Oct 2023
- Expected to finish
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Jun 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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12 to 24 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Participants must be English speakers. * Participants must be between the ages of 12 - 24 years who have been admitted to either the adolescent or young adult Partial Hospital Program (PHP) for eating disorders (EDs) at Penn State Hershey. * Participants must also present with an eating disorder (ED) diagnosis that is characterized by anxiety about weight gain, such as anorexia nervosa (AN), Bulimia nervosa (BN), or their subthreshold presentations captured under the other specific feeding or eating disorder (OSFED) category. Exclusion Criteria: * Participants will be excluded if they are above the age of 24 or below the age of 12 years. * Participants who have been identified as non-English speakers. * Participants with cognitive impairment will also be excluded from participation. * Potential participants will be excluded if they do not meet the diagnostic inclusion criteria noted above. * individuals with a diagnosis of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder, as these individuals do not experience anxiety about weight gain will be excluded.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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905 W Govener Rd
RECRUITINGHershey, Pennsylvania, 17033, United States
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- Can the Brain's Information-Integration process explain Anorexia's grip?
- Can schools catch teen mental health struggles before they escalate?
- A video Game-Style app takes on eating disorder prevention
- Could your phone help rewire binge-eating habits?