Interventions for Obese Binge Eaters

The estimates of binge eating among obese individuals range from 20 to 50 percent, depending upon the criteria used and the study population (Goodrick, Poston, Kimball, Reeves, & Foreyt, 1998). For obese individuals, binge eating is often found to be comorbid with a wide range and variety of other physiological and psychological conditions and disorders (Wadden, Foster, & Letizia, 1992). For medical caregivers, developing effective intervention strategies to assist patients in eliminating binge eating, reduce and then maintain weight loss, and cope with the comorbid conditions they may experience while developing healthy lifestyles and diets is an important task. Consequently, the research question addressed in this brief report is: What interventions or strategies are most useful in assisting obese female binge-eaters in first controlling their binging behaviors and, second, losing weight as part of a lifestyle change designed to improve physical and psychological functioning?

A series of five articles from the literature speak to the foregoing research question. First, Burks and Keeley (1989) examined the beliefs of psychotherapists regarding the efficacy of exercise and diet therapy for obese and overweight patients, regardless of gender. These researchers suggested that psychotherapists, who often see patients for whom overweight or obesity is one of several "presenting problems," may be less knowledgeable than is desirable regarding the ways i

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Category: Medical - I