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Hunger and binge eating: A meta‐analysis of studies using ecological momentary assessment
Author(s) -
HaedtMatt Alissa A.,
Keel Pamela K.
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.20868
Subject(s) - binge eating , appetite , psychology , meta analysis , eating behavior , food intake , clinical psychology , eating disorders , obesity , medicine , endocrinology
Objective: Binge eating has been associated with increased hunger, suggesting a role for impaired appetite regulation. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) is ideally suited to examine whether hunger is a precipitant of binge eating but results from such studies have not been systematically reviewed. This study provides a meta‐analysis of EMA studies that have examined hunger as an antecedent of binge eating. Method: Electronic database and manual searches produced seven EMA studies with N = 180 participants. Meta‐analyses were conducted to compare: (1) pre‐binge eating hunger to average ratings of hunger, and (2) pre‐binge eating hunger to hunger before regular eating. Results: Across studies, hunger was significantly greater before binge eating compared with average hunger ratings, but was significantly lower before binge eating compared with before other eating episodes. Discussion: Excessive hunger does not appear to be a precipitant of binge eating because higher levels of hunger are observed before regular eating episodes. However, lower hunger before food consumption may contribute to the experience of a particular eating episode as a binge. © 2010 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2010)