The Relationship Between Quality of Life, Binge-Eating Disorder, and Obesity Status in an Ethnically Diverse Sample

This study examined the relationship between obesity status, binge-eating disorder (BED), and quality of life (QOL) in a large, ethnically diverse community sample of adult men and women. Using data from the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiological Surveys (N = 20,013), individuals were categorized into four groups: nonobese with BED (n = 142), nonobese without BED (n = 14,301), obese with BED (n = 136), and obese without BED (n = 4,863). Results indicated obese individuals with BED consistently reported the poorest QOL. Findings suggested that obesity status was more strongly related to physical health-related QOL variables (e. g., number of physical conditions, mobility impairment) whereas diagnostic status was more predictive of mental health and social functioning QOL variables (e. g., cognitive impairment, social interaction impairment, time out of role). The degree to which lifetime BED diagnosis was associated with impairment in social interaction differed across ethnic groups. For black individuals, the number of physical health conditions was associated with BED presence moreso than weight status.