Prevalence and associated factors of binge eating disorder among Bahraini youth and young adults: a cross-sectional study in a self-selected convenience sample

Zahraa A Rasool Abbas Abdulla; Hend Omar Almahmood; Razan Raed Alghasra; Zahra Abdulameer Sadeq Alherz; Husain A Ghaffar Alsharifa; Seham Jamal Qamber; Nadia Aaref Alomar; Fatema Ebrahim Almajed; Taher Reyadh Almahroos; Zainab Ali Alnajjas; Adel Salman Alsayyad

doi:10.1186/s40337-022-00726-3

Prevalence and associated factors of binge eating disorder among Bahraini youth and young adults: a cross-sectional study in a self-selected convenience sample

J Eat Disord. 2023 Jan 10;11(1):5. doi: 10.1186/s40337-022-00726-3.

Affiliations

¹ College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, 329, Bahrain. zahra2zayer@gmail.com.
² College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, 329, Bahrain.
³ Family and Community Medicine Department, College of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Arabian Gulf University, Manama, 329, Bahrain.

Abstract

Background: Binge eating disorder (BED) is defined as recurrent ingestion of an unusually large amount of food in a discrete period of time. BED has the highest prevalence of all eating disorders. Studies have shown a strong relationship between BED and both physical and psychological factors such as obesity, depression and anxiety. This research aimed to report the prevalence and associated factors of BED among Bahrainis (aged 15-30 years).

Methods: A total of 959 participants (aged 15-30 years) completed self-administered online questionnaires. BED was measured using the binge eating disorder Screener-7. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and General Anxiety Disorder-7 were used to measure depression and anxiety, respectively.

Results: Out of all participants, 21.2% had binge eating symptoms. A higher BMI, a restricted diet, depression and anxiety were associated with more frequent binge eating symptoms. Out of all associated factors, depression had the strongest association with binge eating, (r_p = 0.371, p < 0.0001). However, sociodemographic variables including age and other medical conditions were not significantly associated with BED symptoms.

Conclusion: In conclusion, the prevalence of BED symptoms was significantly high among the study participants. The results point out the crucial role of awareness of the interaction between obesity, depression and anxiety as potential risk factors for binge eating tendencies. Further research should examine their relationship with BED.

Keywords: Anxiety; Binge eating disorder; Depression; Obesity; Risk factors; Young adults; Youth.

Plain language summary

Binge eating disorder is an eating disorder characterized by the consumption of a large amount of food in a short period of time with loss of control over stopping accompanied by emotional stress during the episode. Studies have identified multiple risk factors that may contribute to binge eating, including lifestyle, psychological well-being of the individual, stress, genetics, family history, age and sex. The current study examined binge eating symptoms among adolescents and young adults aged 15–30 years to estimate the prevalence of the disorder in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Furthermore, participants were tested for depression and anxiety to investigate whether they were associated with the disorder. The results revealed that approximately one-fifth of the participants had binge eating symptoms. A high body mass index, depression and anxiety were significantly associated with binge eating symptoms. We hope this study will be reliable for use in epidemiological studies and further research.