Binge eating during pregnancy and birth outcomes: A cohort study in a disadvantaged population in Brazil

Objective: To assess the impact of binge eating behavior (BE) during pregnancy on birth outcomes among 697 Brazilian women who attended primary care. Method: Pregnant women answered a questionnaire on sociodemographic data, obstetric history, and The Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q). Perinatal outcomes were obtained from birth records. Birth weight, prematurity, caesarean delivery, being small or large for gestational age were compared among women reporting BE (N = 119) and those without BE (N = 578). Poisson regression was used to estimate the association between BE during pregnancy and birth outcomes. Results: BE during pregnancy was not significantly associated with the birth outcomes analyzed. Gestational weight gain was significantly higher among those who reported BE. Discussion: Binge eating behavior during pregnancy may not influence birth outcomes as binge eating disorder does but affects gestational weight gain. Women reporting binge eating during pregnancy should undergo a diagnostic assessment for eating disorders. © 2012 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2012;45:827–831)