Binge eating, sociodemographic and lifestyle factors in participants of the ELSA-Brazil

Abstract

Background: This study investigates the relationship between recurrent binge eating episodes and nutritional and food profiles and lifestyle in the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (Estudo Longitudinal da Saúde do Adulto - ELSA-Brazil) cohort. Results: Recurrent binge eating episodes were associated with obesity (OR 5.188; confidence interval [CI] 4.051-6.645), overweight (OR 2.534; CI 1.980-3.243), female sex (OR 1.918; CI 1.573-2.338), age between 34 and 54 years old (OR 1.349; CI 1.115-1.631), alcohol ingestion ≥ 5 in two hours (OR 1.397; CI 1.068-1.827), and insufficient physical activity (OR 1.290; CI 1.078-1.544). Conclusion: Being overweight has an important association with recurrent binge eating episodes, as does demographic and lifestyle characteristics, including excessive alcohol consumption.