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. 2024 Nov;57(11):2260-2268.
doi: 10.1002/eat.24284. Epub 2024 Sep 2.

Parental Binge Eating and Child Binge Eating and Weight-Control Behaviors: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Findings From the EAT 2010-2018 Study

Janet A Lydecker  1 , Zhijun Zhang  2 , Nicole Larson  3 , Katie A Loth  4 , Melanie Wall  2 , Dianne Neumark-Sztainer  3
Affiliations

Parental Binge Eating and Child Binge Eating and Weight-Control Behaviors: Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Findings From the EAT 2010-2018 Study

Janet A Lydecker et al. Int J Eat Disord. 2024 Nov.

Abstract

Objective: In cross-sectional and retrospective research, parental binge eating is associated with their children's eating psychopathology. The current study extended the evidence by cross-sectionally and longitudinally examining the relation between parental binge eating and binge eating and weight-control behaviors in the next generation of their adolescent children and young adult children in a population-based sample.

Methods: Adolescents (Time 1: M = 14.5, SD = 2.0 years) (n = 2367), followed into adulthood (Time 2: M = 22.1, SD = 2.0 years), and their parents (n = 3664) were enrolled in EAT 2010-2018 and Project F-EAT 2010. The current study examined parental binge eating, and child binge eating and weight-control behaviors. Adjusted models covaried for child gender, age, and race/ethnicity.

Results: Approximately 7% of adolescents at Time 1 had at least one parent who reported binge eating with no differences by child's age, gender, or race/ethnicity. Having at least one parent experiencing binge eating at Time 1 (vs. not) was associated cross-sectionally with adolescent children's use of extreme weight-control behaviors (9.6% vs. 4.8%; Risk Difference [RD] = 4.9%) and associated longitudinally with binge eating during young adulthood (21.1% vs. 11.6%; RD = 9.5%). Other associations did not reach statistical significance.

Conclusions: Children of parents with binge eating appear to have elevated risk of extreme weight-control behaviors during adolescence and binge eating in young adulthood. Clinicians should assess whether eating psychopathology extends to other family members, and offer additional support to parents with binge eating. Further research is needed to identify risk factors in the children of parents with binge eating and to assess strategies for prevention.

Keywords: binge‐eating disorder; bulimia nervosa; eating disorders; longitudinal; parents; weight.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: The authors declare no conflict of interest relevant to this article. Dr. Lydecker reports broader interests, which did not influence this research, including honoraria for continuing medical education consultation/lectures, lectures at scientific conferences, and participation in review panels. Dr. Lydecker has also been funded by the National Eating Disorders Association and has consulted to Novo Nordisk.

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