Novel Survey Effectively Screens Binge Eating in Diabetes

TOPLINE:

A new diabetes-specific 1src-item screening tool demonstrated excellent performance in detecting binge eating disorder in both patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and those with type 2 diabetes (T2D), showing strong associations with glycaemic control and mental health outcomes.

METHODOLOGY:

• Although diabetes-specific screening for disordered eating behaviours is advised, the only available tool — the Diabetes Eating Problem Survey–Revised (DEPS-R) — is tailored for patients with T1D on rapid-acting insulin therapy, limiting its applicability across other diabetes types and treatment regimens.
• Researchers developed a 1src-item non–insulin-specific version of the DEPS-R (DEPS-1src) and evaluated its screening performance for binge eating disorder in 679 patients with T1D or T2D (mean age, 53.8 years) who had the disease for at least 1 year.
• The new survey assessed loss of control over eating, dietary and purging behaviours, and challenges in diabetes management.
• Researchers conducted a receiver operating characteristic curve analysis to test the screening performance of the DEPS-1src and compared it with those of the original DEPS-R and the Problem Areas In Diabetes (PAID) scale.

TAKEAWAY:

• The point prevalence of binge eating disorder was 3.5% in the whole cohort, 2.9% in patients with T1D, and 4.3% in those with T2D.
• The DEPS-1src showed excellent screening performance for binge eating disorder (area under the curve [AUC], src.92; P <.srcsrc1), matching that of the DEPS-R (AUC, src.92; P <.srcsrc1) and surpassing that of the PAID scale (AUC, src.82; P <.srcsrc1).
• The DEPS-1src showed optimal sensitivity (87.5%) and specificity (86.9%) for detecting binge eating disorder at a cutoff score of greater than or equal to 15; participants with this cutoff score had higher body mass index and A1c level along with a greater psychological burden than those with scores below it.
• The stepwise approach of first screening with the PAID scale and then applying the DEPS-1src boosted specificity to 94%, compared with 87% when using the DEPS-1src alone and 67% when using the PAID scale alone.

IN PRACTICE:

“A two-step approach using the PAID followed by the DEPS-1src can be a feasible and time-efficient procedure in routine care,” the authors wrote.

SOURCE:

This study was led by Laura Yvonne Klinker, Diabetes Center Mergentheim in Bad Mergentheim, Germany. It was published online on May 29, 2src25, in Diabetic Medicine.

LIMITATIONS:

Higher DEPS-1src scores in one fifth of the participants may have been affected by glucagon-like peptide 1 therapy. Additionally, the relatively low positive predictive value of the DEPS-1src could have been attributed to its broader scope in detecting various disordered eating behaviours beyond binge eating disorder.

DISCLOSURES:

This study was funded by a grant from the German Center for Diabetes Research. The authors reported having no conflicts of interest.

This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.