Does momentary assessment detect binge eating in overweight women that is denied at interview?

Binge eating is a common problem among overweight people and may complicate weight loss treatment. Addressing binge eating in treatment requires an un derstanding of the factors that trigger these episodes. Forty-two women wer e selected from a community sample that expressed interest in the study. An Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) method was used that enabled partici pants to monitor their eating, feelings and behaviours for 14 days, using p rogrammable wristwatches, at random times, before all eating episodes and j ust after binge eating episodes. Of these, 18 BED women and 17 women with n o BED (NBED) were retained for the statistical analyses. The most important finding was that BED and NBED subjects reported similar levels of binge ea ting when studied in this way. Negative affect, restraint and lower levels of positive affect were noted as antecedents for binge eating in both BED a nd NBED participants. Stress and desire to binge, however, were higher for BED participants, compared to NBED participants, prior to normal eating and binge eating episodes. EMA was a valuable method to make assessments Of bi nge eating behaviours in participants' natural environment. BED and NBED pa rticipants showed more similarities than differences in terms of the freque ncy of binge eating as well as binge antecedents. Both EMA as well as the s imilarities between BED and NBED participants may have implications for the diagnosis of BED. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Dis orders Association.