Body experience in eating disorders before and after treatment: a follow-up study

Since body dissatisfaction is an essential part of anorexia/bulimia nervosa , we wanted to assess the patients' body experience before and after intens ive treatment. Body experience was studied in 290 eating disorder patients, admitted to a specialised unit, after six months and again after one year using the Body Attitude Test (BAT), the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI), an d the Eating Disorder Evaluation Scale (EDES). The clearly negative body ex perience of eating disorder patients evolved in a positive way after therap y and this improvement lasted for up to one year after admission. EDI score s and Body Mass Index at the time of admission appeared to be the strongest predictors of the total BAT score at follow-up. Athough body dissatisfacti on can be quite persistent in eating disorders, intensive treatment can sub stantially improve the patients' body experience. (C) 1999 Editions scienti fiques et medicales Elsevier SAS.