Assessment Methods and Psychobiological Factors Associated with Binge Eating in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

• Grant number: 25/11373-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: September 01, 2025
• End date: November 29, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Nutrition
• Principal Investigator: Camila Cremonezi Japur
• Grantee: Amanda Cristina da Cruz dos Santos
• Supervisor: Eva Martins Conceicao
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidade do Porto (UP), Portugal
• Associated to the scholarship: 24/18130-2 - "Evaluation of the Validity Evidence of the Binge Eating Scale in Brazilian Adult Women with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus", BP.IC

Abstract

Binge eating is a dysfunctional behavior frequently observed in chronic health conditions, particularly in type 2 diabetes mellitus. Binge Eating Disorder is characterized by recurrent episodes of excessive food intake within a specific period, accompanied by emotional distress. Its etiology is multifactorial, involving psychobiological components, traumatic experiences, emotional overload, and associated comorbidities. The Binge Eating Scale (BES), translated into Portuguese as the Escala de Compulsão Alimentar Periódica (ECAP), is one of the main tools used to assess binge eating as a psychological construct. This study aims to investigate the psychometric properties of the ECAP in a European reference center for eating disorders. Complete data will be used from adult women (aged 18 to 59 years) diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, collected from projects approved by the Ethics Committee of the University of São Paulo (CAAE: 83731624.0.0000.5440 and CAAE: 56464422.3.0000.5440), with a minimum estimated sample size of 480 participants. The sample will be randomly divided to conduct psychometric analyses, which will include: structural validity (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis), internal consistency, and convergent validity with the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R21).