Clinician confidence and practices for evaluating bone health in male and female adolescents and young adults with an eating disorder.

Extensive literature exists on bone health in females with an eating disorder, yet few have studied males. Our study assessed clinician confidence and current practices for assessing bone health in patients with an eating disorder. We also aimed to identify any differences in practice based on patient sex. Our 31-item survey, distributed to adolescent clinicians in the United States via the Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) listserv, assessed clinician confidence and practices for assessing bone mineral density in both male and female adolescents with an eating disorder. Findings showed that clinicians (n = 104) were less confident in assessing bone mineral density in males compared to females (p < .001), yet there was no significant difference in rates of obtaining a DXA (p = .390). Although clinicians are less confident assessing bone health in males with an eating disorder than females, this does not appear to result in screening differences.