Disordered eating and food cravings among urban obese African American women.
OBJECTIVE
The prevalence of night eating syndrome (NES), binge eating disorder (BED), and bulimia nervosa (BN) and the general experience of food cravings were examined in 88 obese urban African American women.


METHODS
Participants were administered The Questionnaire on Eating and Weight Patterns-R, the Night Eating Syndrome Questionnaire, and the State and Trait Food Cravings Questionnaire, Trait version (FCQ-T).


RESULTS
Twenty-eight percent reported symptoms of eating disorders (18.9% NES, 6.4% recurrent binge eating, 2.2% both NES and recurrent binge eating). Those reporting disordered eating had significantly higher total FCQ-T scores than those not reporting disordered eating. Persons endorsing recurrent binge eating had the highest mean score, followed by those reporting NES. Those who identified themselves as binge eaters and night eaters were not significantly different from each other, but both groups were significantly different than the no eating disorder symptoms group on various subscales of the FCQ-T.


CONCLUSIONS
Obese African American women report significant levels of NES and binge eating which may contribute to the development and/ or maintenance of obesity.
Jarosz
Patricia A
PA
College of Nursing, Wayne State University, 5557 Cass Avenue, Detroit, MI, USA. pjarosz@wayne.edu
Dobal
May T
MT
Wilson
Feleta L
FL
Schram
Cheryl A
CA
D000328:Adult; D001066:Appetite; D044383:Black People / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001835:Body Weight; D052018:Bulimia Nervosa / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D020920:Dyssomnias / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D001068:Feeding and Eating Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology*; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009519:New York City; D009765:Obesity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D014505:Urban Population; D001741:Black or African American