Identifying Binge Eating Triggers Among Adults With Food Insecurity

Inconsistent food access, mental and physical health, and binge eating–promoting narratives all impact binge eating behavior, according to a new study that aimed to identify opportunities for reducing behaviors of binge eating among patients who struggle with access to food. The findings were published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders.

The researchers interviewed patients who had at least 12 episodes of binge eating in the previous 3 months. Targeted interventions focused on the identified stressors and helping patients cope with them may be able to improve binge eating, the researchers explained.

Additional research, argued the researchers, should examine the impact of more accessibility to nutritious foods on binge eating. | Image Credit: dizain - stock.adobe.com

“Our findings also present clinical and policy implications and suggest that providing financial benefits, such as via the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, on a more consistent schedule (e.g., weekly instead of monthly) could address some drivers of binge eating among individuals with food insecurity by stabilizing their access to food,” the authors wrote.

The findings build on previous research exploring the role of food accessibility issues and binge eating. In 2023, a systematic review and meta-analysis of 20 studies found that the odds of binge eating were 1.66 times higher among patients experiencing food insecurity compared with patients without food security issues.²

In this new study, the researchers dug deeper into the reasons for binge eating among adults who were experiencing food insecurity. The group interviewed 28 adult patients with obesity aged between 26 and 69 years throughout the last quarter of 2020.

Most patients reported multiple triggers that spanned themes. For example, approximately one-third (36.8%) of interviews that mentioned fluctuating food access also reported triggers from mental and physical health, and 41.4% of interviews that mentioned triggers from mental and physical health also reported triggers from fluctuating food access.

Throughout the interviews, every participant brought up unstable food access as a reason for binge eating, leading to periods of binge eating when food access was not an issue and undereating when accessing food was more difficult. While the financial aspect of being able to access food was the initial focus, the interviews revealed that other access factors, such as not having time to eat (75% of participants) and having exposure to food (75%), also play a role.

Stress was the most commonly reported mental health trigger of binge eating, ranging from social stress to stress from the COVID-19 pandemic. Previous data have reported on the impact of stress on binge eating among patients experiencing food insecurity. One study of patient-reported data found that stress accounted for a significant amount of the correlation between food insecurity and binge-eating behaviors.³

Other mental health triggers, which were overall reported by every participant in this new study, included boredom, feeling hopeless or worthless, and anxiety. A little more than half (54%) of participants also pointed to physical health-related triggers, such as issues with sleeping, hormonal fluctuations, sickness, and injury.

The third bucket of triggers, binge-promoting narratives, gave insights into the thoughts and beliefs that participants have that explain their periods of binge eating. For example, rationalizing periods of binge eating by setting intention of dieting in the future or by attributing it to failing on a diet.

Insights from the interview also demonstrated that easier access to less nutritious, more affordable, and energy-dense food was a driver of binges. The researchers explained, “Participants reported buying these foods because they were more palatable and affordable than nutritious options.”

Additional research, argued the researchers, should examine the impact of more accessibility to nutritious foods on binge eating. Of their own study, the researchers warned of recall bias due to the self-reported nature of data collection. Interviews were also done during the COVID-19 pandemic, potentially impacting the prevalence of food access and disordered eating.

References

1. Green EA, Schneider KL, Chang A, et al. Exploring drivers of binge eating in individuals with food insecurity and recurrent binge eating: a qualitative analysis. In J Eat Disord. Published online April 2, 2025. doi:10.1002/eat.24434
2. Abene JA, Tong J, Minuk J, Lindenfeldar G, Chen Y, Chao AM. Food insecurity and binge eating: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Int J Eat Disord. 2023;56(7):1301-1322. doi:10.1002/eat.23956
3. Kosmas JA, Wildes JE, Graham AK, O’Connor SM. The role of stress in the association among food insecurity, eating disorder pathology, and binge eating-related appetitive traits. Eat Behav. Published online February 21, 2023. doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2023.101709