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. 2024 Dec 23;12(1):210.
doi: 10.1186/s40337-024-01181-y.

Determinants of binge eating and its impact on indicators of obesity among Finnish adolescents - a cohort study

Reetta Lehto  1   2 , Monica Ålgars  3 , Sohvi Lommi  1   4 , Marja H Leppänen  1   4   5 , Heli Viljakainen  6   7
Affiliations

Determinants of binge eating and its impact on indicators of obesity among Finnish adolescents - a cohort study

Reetta Lehto et al. J Eat Disord. .

Abstract

Background: Binge eating, a type of disordered eating, is relatively common among youth and predisposes them to many adverse health outcomes. Diverse psychological and social factors may be associated with binge eating. The aim of this study was to examine child and parental psychosocial determinants of binge eating and its impact on indicators of obesity.

Methods: The sample consisted of 10 679 Finnish adolescents who participated in the Fin-HIT cohort study. The participants were 9-12 years at baseline, and they were followed-up for 2.6 years on average. At baseline, children's anthropometry was measured, and they reported binge eating, disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, self-esteem, and body shape satisfaction with validated questionnaires. Parents reported their own weight satisfaction, dieting, and depressive symptoms at baseline. Adjusted logistic and linear regressions were used in the analyses.

Results: Self-esteem was associated with lower odds (OR 0.88, 95% CI 0.85-0.91), and overall disordered eating attitudes and behaviors were associated with higher odds (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.06-1.10) of binge eating. Additionally, child and parent body dissatisfaction were associated with binge eating but not in the fully adjusted model where the child's BMI was additionally considered. None of the parental factors were associated with binge eating in the fully adjusted model. Binge eating was associated with higher BMI z-scores and waist circumferences both cross-sectionally and longitudinally.

Conclusions: In support of previous findings, we found that low self-esteem, body dissatisfaction and other disordered eating attitudes and behaviors are associated with binge eating, but our results also highlight the impact of weight status as a potential moderator when the determinants of binge eating are examined. More studies on the role of parental factors in adolescent binge eating are needed.

Keywords: Binge eating; Children; Determinants; Disordered eating; Family; Risk factors; Weight; Youth.

Plain language summary

Binge eating is a type of disordered eating characterized by uncontrollable eating episodes that often negatively affects mental and physical health. We investigated the individual- and parent-related factors linked to binge eating and whether binge eating is related to BMI and waist circumference among adolescents. We studied 10,696 Finnish adolescents who were 9–12 years old at the beginning of the study. The participants’ weight, height and waist circumference were measured, and they and their parents completed a questionnaire. The participants were followed up for 2.6 years on average. We found that low self-esteem and general disordered eating attitudes and behaviors were linked to binge eating. Additionally, body dissatisfaction present in the child or the parent was associated with the child’s binge eating, but this depended on the child’s BMI. Binge eating was repeatedly associated with a higher BMI and waist circumference.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa (decision number 169/13/03/00/10). Written informed consent was obtained from all the participating children and their guardians. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Associations of child and parental determinants and binge eating. Logistic regression, odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals. *DEAB = disordered eating attitudes and behaviors. Model 1 adjusted for age and sex. Model 2 adjusted for age, sex, and all other independent variables (separately for child-level variables and parental variables). Model 3 adjusted for model 2 variables + BMI z score
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