Incidence and weight trajectories of binge eating disorder among young women in the community

• Published in: The International journal of eating disorders 2015-12, Vol.48 (8), p.1106-1112
• Main Authors: Mustelin, Linda, Raevuori, Anu, Hoek, Hans Wijbrand, Kaprio, Jaakko, Keski-Rahkonen, Anna
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age of Onset; Binge eating; binge eating disorder; Binge-Eating Disorder - epidemiology; Binge-Eating Disorder - pathology; Body Mass Index; Body Weight; Bulimia; Child; Comorbidity; Confidence intervals; Depressive Disorder, Major - epidemiology; Eating disorders; Female; Finland - epidemiology; Humans; Incidence; Longitudinal Studies; Overweight - epidemiology; population study; Prevalence; Surveys and Questionnaires; twin study; Weight; Women; Young Adult; Young adults
• ISSN: 0276-3478; 1098-108X
• DOI: 10.1002/eat.22409

ABSTRACT Objective To assess the population prevalence and incidence of binge eating disorder (BED) among young women. Method In a nationwide longitudinal study of Finnish twins born 1975–1979, the women participated in five surveys from age 16 until their mid‐thirties. At Wave 4 (mean age 24 years), the women (N = 2,825) underwent a 2‐stage screening for eating disorders. We assessed the lifetime prevalence, incidence, and clinical characteristics of DSM‐5 BED. Results We detected 16 women who met DSM‐5 criteria for BED, yielding a lifetime prevalence of 0.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.4–1.2%). The incidence of BED among women between 10 and 24 years of age was 35 (95% CI 20–60) per 100,000 person‐years. The mean age of onset of BED was 19 years (range 13–27 years). Of the cases, 13/16 (81%) were currently ill. Duration of illness at the time of assessment ranged from less than a year to 13 years (median 6 years). Of women with BED, only two had a history of other eating disorders, but six had lifetime major depressive disorder. Two‐thirds of the women with BED belonged to the highest weight quartile at age 16, and their mean BMI at age 22–27 year was 26.2 kg/m2 (range 22.1–32.5 kg/m2). Discussion Incident BED as defined by DSM‐5 was relatively rare among younger women and was often preceded by relative overweight. BED often occurred without a history of other eating disorders, but comorbidity with major depressive disorder was common. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2015; 48:1106–1112).