Eating Disorder Treatment Dropout: What Factors Influence Access to Specialty Care in an Underresourced Appalachian Region?

• Published in: Journal of rural mental health 2023-04, Vol.47 (2), p.123-128
• Main Authors: Bottera, Angeline R., Luzier, Jessica L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Eating Disorders; Female; Health Care Access; Human; Male; Outpatient Treatment; Rural Health; Treatment Dropouts
• ISSN: 1935-942X; 2163-8969
• DOI: 10.1037/rmh0000230

Appalachia is uniquely impacted by health care disparities. Outpatient dropout rates remain a significant barrier for individuals necessitating specialty eating disorder (ED) treatment. We explored factors impacting patient continuation in specialty outpatient care for EDs. Participants (N = 138; 89.9% female) were patients with EDs attending specialty outpatient treatment in a geographically isolated, underresourced Appalachian community. Patient dropout rate was 26.8%. Dropout rates did not significantly differ across any sociocultural factors except patient age and body mass index (BMI); patients who discontinued were older and had higher BMIs at intake, perhaps due to longer duration of illness or treatment-related misconceptions. Implications and future directions are discussed. Public Health Significance Statement Our study is the first to explore factors impacting specialty eating disorder outpatient treatment dropout in an underresourced Appalachian community. Results identify age and body mass index (BMI) as potential predictors of treatment dropout, highlighting unique barriers that may exist for adults and individuals with higher BMIs. Our study sets a critical foundation for further investigation of barriers to life-saving eating disorder treatment access and continuation.