Comparing men and women with binge ‐eating disorder and co‐morbid obesity

This study examined differences in clinical presentation of men and women with binge‐eating disorder (BED) who participated in treatment research at a medical‐school based program. MethodParticipants were 682 adults (n = 182 men, n = 500 women) with DSM‐IV‐defined BED. Doctoral‐level research clinicians assessed eating‐disorder psychopathology, including BED diagnosis, using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM‐IV Disorders (SCID) and Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) interview. Research clinicians measured height and weight and participants completed a battery of established self‐report measures. ResultsMen had significantly higher body mass index (BMI) than women; women had significantly higher eating‐disorder psychopathology (EDE scales and global score) and depression than men. Differences in eating‐disorder psychopathology and depression remained higher for women than men after adjusting for race/ethnicity and BMI. Frequency of binge‐eating episodes, subjective binge‐eating episodes, and overeating episodes did not differ significantly by sex. Women had younger ages of onset for dieting and binge‐eating behaviors than men but ages of onset for obesity and BED did not significantly differ between men and women. DiscussionThere are some sex differences in clinical presentation and age‐of‐onset timeline of adults with BED. Men and women develop obesity and BED (at diagnostic threshold) around the same age but women begin dieting and binge...
Source: International Journal of Eating Disorders - Category: Eating Disorders & Weight Management Authors: Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research