Mitigating the Severity of Binge Eating Episodes in Obese Individuals

Abstract

Aim: The study aimed to analyze the change in the severity of binge eating disorder in obese individuals registered to the Adana City Training and Research Hospital Obesity Center training program. Methods: The study was a single-arm, prospective, quasi-experimental study with an interrupted time-series design. Inclusion criteria were having registered to the center for training, age between 18 to 65 years, a body mass index (BMI) equal to or over 30 and having binge eating disorder. Binge eating disorder evaluation (BEDE) was a structured form exclusively using DSM-5 binge eating disorder (BED) diagnosis and the severity criteria. The progress record included a weekly curriculum that a physician, dietitian, psychologist administered, and the physiotherapist and the monthly individual meetings data. Results: The BEDE reports showed a significant improvement, with 65 of the patients scoring below the BED diagnosis at the final evaluation. There was no difference between the genders regarding improvement in episodes. The current study showed that after twenty weeks of training that lasted for approximately 80 hours, the patients reported fewer episodes. Conclusions The training could be considered efficacious for reducing the severity of binge eating episodes in obese patients seeking treatment.