ArticleEating and weight disorders : EWD2020
Autistic adult outcomes on weight and body mass index: a large-scale online study.
Article in Eating and weight disorders : EWD, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Dietary recommendations to customize canteen menus according to the nutritional and sensory needs of individuals with autism spectrum disorder.Eating and weight disorders : EWD · 2023Guideline
- Remote Assessment of Physical Function and Physical Activity in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Protocol for Feasibility, Validity, and Reliability Study.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Body weight in autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis.JCPP advances · 2026Article
- The Relationship Between Interoception, Alexithymia, Autistic Traits and Eating Pathology in Autistic Adults.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2026Article
- Disparities in Physical Activity and Sport Participation Among Transition-Age Youth With Autism and Intellectual Disability.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2026Article
- Review
- Article
- Exploring Collaborative Efforts Toward Promoting Better Eating Habits among Autistic Children in the United Arab Emirates.The Linacre quarterly · 2024Article
- Body Composition and Anthropometric Measurements in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case-Control Study in Lebanon.Nutrients · 2024Article
- Article
- Assessment of Feeding Behaviors and Parents' Frustrations of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Lebanon: A Case-Control Study.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Nutritional needs of children with disabilities in the UAE: understanding predictors and mediators of nutritional knowledge and practices.BMC nutrition · 2022Article
- Association of autism diagnosis and polygenic scores with eating disorder severity.European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association · 2022Article
- Article
- COVID-19 and UK family carers: policy implications.The lancet. Psychiatry · 2021Review
- Autistic Traits Mediate Reductions in Social Attention in Adults with Anorexia Nervosa.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2021Article
- Comparison of gut microbiota between adults with autism spectrum disorder and obese adults.PeerJ · 2021Article
- Exploring Self-Reported Eating Disorder Symptoms in Autistic Men.Autism in adulthood · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeThere has been a wealth of work on the weight outcomes of autistic children and young people, generally finding that they are more likely to be overweight or obese than their non-autistic counterparts. There has not been the same focussed study of the weight outcomes of autistic adults, however. This study, therefore, sought to examine the relationship between weight outcome and being autistic in adults.
methodsData were collected as part of an online study looking at eating, autism, and relationships. 665 people gave demographic and mental health information, and group differences and robust regressions were conducted.
resultsAutistic adults were more likely to be in non-healthy weight categories than their non-autistic counterparts, i.e., more likely to be underweight, overweight, or obese. There were no interactions between autism status and mental health impacting BMI, although both anxiety and depression predicted higher BMI in the sample overall.
conclusionsWe conclude that while some weight patterns from childhood and adolescence continue into adulthood for autistic individuals, this is not necessarily a straightforward picture, and would benefit from further in-depth and qualitative study to understand the processes at play. The lack of interactions between mental health and autism, however, should provide professionals with confidence in supporting healthy weight management among autistic people. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, cohort study.
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