[AT RISK] Study to explore binge eating in Hispanic older adults launches
Researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) and Trinity University are partnering with the San Antonio Food Bank for a four-year, $2.2 million study on eating disorders in older Hispanic women.
A grant from the US National Institute on Aging is funding the study, which aims to redefine how the intersection of binge eating, food insecurity and health disparities among older Hispanic women is understood and addressed. The idea is to reduce multimorbidity, pioneer scalable interventions and deliver actionable insights for policymakers.
During the study, called “Prospective Health Impacts of Chronic Binge Eating Disorder in Hispanic Older Women Living with Food Insecurity (PROSPERA),” the food bank will serve as a centralized location for study-related activities and provide infrastructure to support the research process. The study is expected to build on one published in 2023 that found between 17% and 20% of a sample of women ages 51 or older who visited the San Antonio Food Bank met the criteria for severe binge eating disorder.
Findings of the new grant-funded 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, the authors suggest. 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.
The study aims to include 250 Hispanic women, ages 50 or older, living with food insecurity, with 125 who meet the criteria for chronic binge eating disorder and 125 who 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.
Participants will be able to access point-of-care testing, health counseling and case management. As part of the research plan, the researchers pledge to conduct annual virtual food drives for the San Antonio Food Bank and complete at least 40 volunteer hours annually. The study will provide compensation totaling $45,000 to participants through H-E-B grocery gift cards, the value of the health screenings, one-hour phone counseling sessions and connections to additional resources.
In the end, researchers hope 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 that health care providers and nonprofit organizations can use.
To learn more about PROSPERA, click here
To read the abstract of the 2023 study of midlife and older adults experiencing food insecurity, published in Eating Behaviors, click here
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