The overview
The study researches the intersection between binge eating, food insecurity and health disparities among older Hispanic women. The goal of the study is to reduce multimorbidity, pioneer scalable interventions and deliver actionable insights for policymakers. Funding for the study is from a grant from the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health.
“The goal is understanding, in this population living with significant intersectional disadvantage, how the trajectories of both food insecurity and binge eating over time operate independently on health, and how do they transact and potentially influence one another,” said Lisa Smith Kilpela, associate professor with the Department of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio and associate director of its Center for Research to Advance Community Health.
Kilpela and Carolyn Black Becker, professor of psychology at Trinity University in San Antonio, are the lead investigators for the study titled “Prospective Health Impacts of Chronic Binge Eating Disorder in Hispanic Older Women Living with Food Insecurity.”
During the study, the San Antonio Food Bank will serve as a centralized location for study-related activities and provide infrastructure to support the research process.
The background
The study builds on an earlier study published in 2023 by Kilpela, Becker and other scientists. Their first study discovered that between 17% and 20% of a sample of women age 51 or older who visited the San Antonio Food Bank met the criteria for severe binge eating disorder.
The new study narrows the scope of the previous one to focus on potential health impacts for Hispanic women. Findings of this study could inform treatment options and policy changes that better understand how food insecurity, age and culture intersect to affect the health of Hispanic women living with binge eating disorder.
One of the objectives is to create a new risk index for this population. Factors that typically predict binge eating behaviors might not be as relevant for all people, including women of color and underrepresented populations.
This study proposes to include 250 Hispanic women, age 50 or older, living with food insecurity. According to a news release, 125 participants meet the criteria for chronic binge eating disorder and 125 have no history of an eating disorder.
Throughout the study, researchers will assess the impact of binge eating disorders on participants’ mental and physical health compared to participants who are food insecure but do not have an eating disorder. The study will include qualitative interviews with participants about their lived experiences and major life events.
The study will attempt to pinpoint certain factors that influence the health burden of binge eating disorder among older Hispanic women living with food insecurity and develop relevant interventions for health care providers and nonprofit organizations.
