Abstract
BackgroundBinge eating disorder is a common eating disorder among the adolescent population. The available literature in the Middle East in general, and Lebanon specifically, is relatively scarce and/or outdated. The objectives of this study were to (1) validate the Binge Eating Scale (BES) for use in Lebanese adolescents, and (2) assess correlates of binge eating behavior among this population.MethodsA cross-sectional study conducted between May and June 2020, enrolling 555 adolescents between the ages of 15–18 years old from all Lebanese governorates. The Binge Eating Scale was used to screen for the presence/absence of binge eating.ResultsA confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the one-factorial model fits the data best. The results of a linear regression, taking the binge eating score as the dependent variable, showed that higher body dissatisfaction, more alcohol use disorder, higher depression, vomiting to lose weight and starving to lose weight were significantly associated with more binge eating. Higher self-esteem was significantly associated with less binge eating.ConclusionThe Arabic Version of the BES scale seems to be a reliable tool to be used in Lebanese adolescents for the assessment of binge eating. More body dissatisfaction, lower self-esteem, increased depressive symptoms were associated with more binge eating. We hope this tool will be a reliable one to be used in epidemiological studies and research about eating behaviors/disorders.Plain English summaryThe results showed that higher body dissatisfaction, higher depression, vomiting to lose weight and starving to lose weight were significantly associated with more binge eating. Our study also showed that the Binge Eating Scale is an adapted and validated tool to be used among Lebanese adolescents for the assessment of binge eating. We hope that the study results will help clinicians in the screening and management of Binge Eating behaviors among Lebanese adolescents.
Highlights
Binge eating disorder is a common eating disorder among the adolescent population
Plain English summary: The results showed that higher body dissatisfaction, higher depression, vomiting to lose weight and starving to lose weight were significantly associated with more binge eating
Our study showed that the Binge Eating Scale is an adapted and validated tool to be used among Lebanese adolescents for the assessment of binge eating
Summary
Binge eating disorder is a common eating disorder among the adolescent population. Binge eating (BE), a manifestation of disordered eating, is defined as an uncontrolled consumption of large of quantities of food [1]. This behavior could be observed in binge eating disorder (BED), bulimia nervosa (BN) and anorexia nervosa (AN) (binge/purge subtype) [2, 3]. Mina et al J Eat Disord (2021) 9:134 and loss of control sensation during the episodes [4]. This eating disorder is characterized by at least one episode of BE per week for at least 3 months. BED is a common eating disorder among young adolescents, with a lifetime prevalence of 1.6%, followed by BN (0.9%) and AN (0.3%), and is prominent in girls [2]
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