Association Between Binge Drinking and Food Addiction in College Students

Abstract

The objective of this investigation was to determine whether binge drinking (BD) is associated with food addiction (FA). Since BD has become a problem among college‐aged students, BD associated with FA may contribute to obesity in this population. We hypothesized that students who binge drink are at increased risk of FA related to the hedonic value of both along with compromised decision‐making ability due to impairment under heavy alcohol consumption.MethodsData for this cross‐sectional study were collected using a web‐based survey tool. Participants consisted of a convenience sample of college students, with and without BD, who answered >5 FA questions and BD questions in our survey. Questions targeted age, gender, race, socioeconomic status, symptomatology and self‐classification of binge drinking behavior, and eating behavior in terms of FA based on the Yale Food Addiction Scale. Students were classified as non‐binge drinkers if they reported never binge drinking.Results1809 were eligible for participation in this study. 83.2% of participants were 18‐24 years old. 34.2% of participants binge drank within 30 days and 21.0% binge drank more than 30 days but within one year of taking the survey. Of the 1197 students who reported binge drinking, 10.1% showed high symptomatology of FA. Of the 33.8% of students who reported never binge drinking, 7% showed high symptomatology of FA (p‐value=0.031).ConclusionThere is a strong association BD and food addiction. Factors influencing this association may be youth, living situations, and possible addictive personalities.No external support was used to conduct this study.