Poster Presentation Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society Annual Scientific Conference 2026

The prevalence of binge eating within behavioural weight management trials: a secondary analysis with individual participant data meta-analyses (#126)

Hannah Melville 1 2 , Hiba Jebeile 1 2 , Louise A Baur 1 2 3 , Sarah P Garnett 1 , Rachel D Barnes 4 , Isabelle R Jardine 1 , Rabia Khalid 1 2 , Sasha J Lorien 1 , Anna L Seidler 5 6 7 , Natalie B Lister 1 2 , Sol Libesman 5
  1. Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney, Westmead, New South Wales, Australia
  2. Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
  3. Weight Management Services, The Children's Hospital at Westmead, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  4. Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States of America
  5. National Health and Medical Research Council Clinical Trials Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
  6. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medical Centre Rostock, Rostock, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany
  7. German Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ), partner site Greifswald/Rostock, Rostock, Germany

Background: Binge eating prevalence may vary by participant characteristics, with implications for overweight/obesity treatment. We aimed to estimate binge eating prevalence across age, sex and BMI severity in adults enrolled in behavioural weight management trials.

Methods: This secondary individual participant data (IPD) meta-analyses included behavioural weight management trials in adults with overweight/obesity that assessed eating disorder outcomes and provided IPD to Eating Disorders In weight-related Therapy Collaboration. Binge eating episodes (≥1 day/week; yes/no) were assessed using the Eating Disorder Examination interview/questionnaire or Eating Disorder Diagnostic Scale. Binge eating severity was assessed using the Binge Eating Scale (moderate/severe scores ≥18; severe scores ≥27). Two-stage IPD meta-analyses estimated prevalence and variation across age, sex (female/male) and BMI (kg/m2). Non-linear effects were estimated with natural spline models and multivariate meta-analysis.

Results: 22 trials (k) were included (n=2,772, 80.9% female, median (IQR) age 45 (37-54) years, BMI 33.2 (29.8-37.9) kg/m2). The prevalence for reporting a binge eating episode was 30% (95%CI:18-46, 95% prediction interval [PI]: 3-88, k=14, n=1,772). Moderate/severe binge eating prevalence was 36% (95%CI: 31-42, PI%: 22-54, k=10, n=1,256), including 12% reporting severe binge eating (95%CI: 10-14, PI%: 10-14, k=9, n=1,123). Five-year age increases were associated with 4% and 6% lower risk of binge eating episodes and moderate/severe binge eating, respectively. Female participants had a 68% higher risk of moderate/severe binge eating compared to male participants. The relationships between BMI and binge eating were non-linear. Between BMI 25-30 binge eating prevalence was likely to increase from 25% to 40%, and mean BES score from 13 to 16. Mean BES score increased again from BMI 40-55 to 19. 

Conclusion: Binge eating prevalence varied with age, sex and BMI severity for adults enrolled in behavioural weight management trials. Screening for binge eating in overweight/obesity treatment is warranted, with findings supporting heightened attention toward younger, female participants with higher BMI.