Definitions of Night Eating in Adolescent Girls |
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Authors: | Ruth H Striegel-Moore Douglas Thompson Debra L Franko Bruce Barton Sandra Affenito George B Schreiber Stephen R Daniels |
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Institution: | 1. Maryland Medical Research Institute, Baltimore, Maryland;2. Department of Counseling and Applied Educational Psychology, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts;3. St. Joseph's College, West Hartford, Connecticut;4. Westat, Inc., Rockville, Maryland;5. Department of Cardiology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio |
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Abstract: | Objective: To describe the prevalence of night eating in a community cohort of black and white girls, using different definitions of night eating as described in the literature. Research Methods and Procedures: Three‐day food diaries collected as part of the National Growth and Health Study were examined to identify episodes of night eating, which was defined in five different ways: eating >25% of daily caloric intake after the last evening meal, eating >25% of daily caloric intake after 7 pm, eating >50% of daily caloric intake after the last evening meal, eating >50% of daily caloric intake after 7 pm, or eating between 11 pm and 4:59 am. Results: Frequency of night eating varied tremendously depending on how the behavior was defined. For the least restrictive definition (>25% of total intake after last meal), 50% to 70% of girls reported one night eating event; for the most restrictive (>50% of total intake after last meal), only 1.5% of 11‐year‐old girls' diaries and 3.5% of 19‐year‐old girls' diaries contained a night eating event. The frequency of night eating decreased dramatically (typically by a factor of 10) if the inclusion criteria required multiple night eating events in a given week. Discussion: A standard definition of night eating behavior is needed to advance the field. An agreed‐on operationalized definition that includes time of day, amount of calories consumed, and a frequency criterion would enable cross‐study comparisons and encourage the examination of developmental and clinical considerations of night eating behavior. |
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Keywords: | night eating eating disorder |
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