Volume 2, February 2009
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Binge Eating Disorder (BED), the nation’s leading eating disorder, affects six million people in the United States (2-3 percent of the population), and experts say that binge eaters are falling through the cracks. Approximately $33 million in lost productivity, health care, and medical expenses can be attributed to BED each year, yet studies estimate that less than 1 in 10 cases of eating disorders are identified, and less than 1 in 5 diagnosed receives treatment.
Guilt, shame, or social stigma prevent some binge eaters from seeking help. As noted above, binge eaters typically go undiagnosed, since most health care providers are not screening for eating disorders.
Research indicates that obese binge eaters have more physical and psychological difficulties than obese individuals who do not binge eat. Not surprisingly, binge eaters consistently show poorer weight management outcomes. Nonetheless, most weight management programs do not include interventions for binge eating.
HealthMedia® Overcoming ™ Binge Eating — a web-based program designed to help individuals stop binge eating and compulsive eating — emulates a behavioral health coaching session to deliver an individually tailored binge eating management plan. The program screens for binge eating problems and provides help early on, before a more serious or chronic condition develops. This confidential program provides a low-cost intervention to individuals who need help, but may never come forward.
With more than 1,300 users, the HealthMedia® program for BED has yielded important data on the nature and impact of this problem. The vast majority (87 percent) were not currently receiving treatment, while 79 percent reported never having seen a health care provider for an eating problem. In addition, 86 percent indicated experiencing significant stress at work or due to financial problems, and the most common time for binging was in the evening or after returning home from work.
Participants in the binge eating program reported significant medical comorbidity. Below is a list of the most common medical conditions reported. Not surprisingly, the list includes many medical problems that are typically associated with weight gain and obesity:
| 1. Allergies | 25% |
| 2. High Blood Pressure | 18% |
| 3. High Cholesterol | 17% |
| 4. Depression | 16% |
| 5. Back Pain | 15% |
| 6. Asthma | 10% |
| 7. Anxiety | 10% |
| 8. Indigestion, Reflux (GERD), or Ulcers | 9% |
| 9. Migraine | 9% |
| 10. Irritable Bowel Syndrome | 6% |
Ninety-two percent of participants work full-time. The binge eaters had an average productivity impairment of 16.28 percent, about twice the level of impairment of an average employee. For an employee with an annual salary of $50,000, this would translate into $4,000 in lost productivity each year due to BED.