Binge eating age of onset, frequency, and associated emotional distress among women aged 60 years and over

ABSTRACT Emerging research indicates that binge eating is prevalent among older adult women. This study explored the characteristics of older women (aged 60+ years) with objective binge episodes (OBE) in later-life, including age of onset, distress, and frequency of OBE. Data consist of telephone clinical interviews conducted with individuals presenting for participation in a biomedical study of older women with OBE to establish inclusion criteria. Of 71 participants interviewed, 77.5% met DSM-5 criteria for OBE (≥1/week for ≥3 months); 33.3% reported OBE onset before age 40, 17.9% reported midlife onset (ages 40–55), and 48.7% reported late-life onset (56+). Regarding distress, older women with OBE in later-life reported themes of age-related self-blame surrounding eating, loss of control, and cognitive fixation on satiation. Among older women with OBE in later-life, onset in mid- to later-life may be relatively common. Furthermore, distress regarding OBEs was significant, highlighting the need for intervention research among this population.