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Relationship between motivation for weight loss and dieting and binge eating in a representative population survey
Author(s) -
Schelling Simone,
Munsch Simone,
Meyer Andrea H.,
Margraf Jürgen
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
international journal of eating disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.785
H-Index - 138
eISSN - 1098-108X
pISSN - 0276-3478
DOI - 10.1002/eat.20748
Subject(s) - dieting , binge eating , psychology , overweight , weight loss , body mass index , population , binge eating disorder , clinical psychology , obesity , socioeconomic status , demography , developmental psychology , eating disorders , bulimia nervosa , medicine , sociology
Objective: To investigate the relationship between reasons for weight loss and previous dieting attempts and current binge‐eating episodes in overweight and obese individuals. Method: For the n = 355 interviewees of a representative sample of Swiss inhabitants ( n = 1,000) reporting a body mass index (BMI) of ≥25, the Weight Loss Motivation Questionnaire—distinguishing between the three scales health, appearance in relation to oneself, and appearance in relation to others—was assessed. Pearson's and Spearman's rank correlation coefficients and the partial correlation coefficient controlling for age, sex, socioeconomic status, and BMI were calculated. Results: Number of previous diets was significantly correlated with all three subscales, whereas presence of binge‐eating episodes was only significantly correlated with appearance in relation to oneself. Discussion: Dieting and binge‐eating behavior are differently associated with reasons for weight loss; better matching of treatments to patients' individual needs might improve the high dropout rates observed in weight loss treatments and enhance weight loss success. © 2010 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2011; 44:39–43)