The prevalence of frequent binge eating and bulimia in a nonclinical

This study examined the prevalence of bulimia and frequent binge eating in female college students. Additionally, sex differences in binge eating and in labeling one's behavior as binge eating were assessed. All students in an introductory psychology course, 485 women and 327 men, were subjects. Of all students, 49% reported binge eating. Significantly more women than men reported binge eating and labeled their behavior as such. While 56% of the women reported binge eating, only 7.2% reported eight or more episodes per month. Approximately 4% of the women sampled fulfilled operationalized DSM-III criteria for bulimia.