Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EATING DISORDERS
Volume 50, Issue 9, Pages 1031-1040Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1002/eat.22735
Keywords
binge eating; eating disorders; ethnicity; food insecurity; marginalized populations
Funding
- HEB Grocery Company
- McNairs Scholars Program
- Murchison Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship Program
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ObjectiveThe primary aim of this study was to investigate eating disorder (ED) pathology in those living with food insecurity. A secondary aim was to investigate whether any-reason dietary restraint, weight self-stigma, and worry increased as level of food insecurity increased. MethodParticipants (N=503) seeking food from food pantries completed questionnaires assessing level of food insecurity, demographics, ED pathology, dietary restraint, weight self-stigma, and worry. ResultsConsistent with hypotheses, participants with the highest level of food insecurity (i.e., adults who reported having hungry children in their household) also endorsed significantly higher levels of binge eating, overall ED pathology, any-reason dietary restraint, weight self-stigma, and worry compared to participants with lower levels of food insecurity. Contrary to hypotheses, compensatory behaviors also increased as level of food insecurity worsened. Overall, 17% of those in the child hunger food insecurity group reported clinically significant ED pathology. DiscussionThis is the first study to assess the full spectrum of ED pathology in a low-income, marginalized population with food insecurity. Given that food insecurity is a global concern, results from this study suggest that greater attention to the association between ED pathology and food insecurity is warranted by researchers around the world.
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