Accuracy of self-reported weight in patients with binge eating disorder

This study was designed to evaluate the accuracy of self-reported weight in patients with binge eating disorder.

Subjects were 108 adults who were consecutively evaluated for outpatient clinical trials and met DSM-IV criteria for binge eating disorder. Self-reported and measured weights were taken and participants were administered a battery of measures to examine correlates of reporting error. In addition, accurate reporters of weight (i.e., individuals who reported their weight within 5 lb of their measured weight) were compared to underreporters (i.e., individuals who underreported their weight by more than 5 lb) on eating disorder psychopathology and conceptually related measures.

Overall, most binge eating disorder subjects were accurate in reporting weight: 73% were accurate within 5 lb and 82% were accurate within 10 lb. Self-reported and measured body mass index were highly correlated and the magnitude of the difference was nonsignificant. Body mass index was not significantly associated with the degree of accuracy, that is, accurate reporters weighed about the same as underreporters. Accurate reporters and underreporters did not differ on measures of overeating behaviors, eating disorder psychopathology, and conceptually related measures.

These findings suggest that most patients with binge eating disorder were accurate in self-reporting weight. Unlike findings in healthy samples, heavier patients with binge eating disorder were not more likely to underreport weight. Similar to findings in patients with bulimia nervosa, eating disorder psychopathology was not related to reporting error.