Prevalence of food addiction determined by the Yale Food Addiction Scale and associated factors: A systematic review with meta‐analysis

Abstract

Objective: To determine, through a systematic review with meta-analysis, the prevalence of food addiction (FA) using the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) and its derivatives exploring possible factors associated with the prevalence of FA in several contexts. Methods:The following databases were searched: MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, LILACS, PsycArticles, CENTRAL, Greylit.org, and OpenGrey.eu. Studies that assessed FA using YFAS were included. Two independent reviewers assessed the eligibility of each report. Random-effects meta-analysis was performed to calculate the weighted prevalence of FA. Subgroup analyses and metaregression were conducted to explore sources of heterogeneity. Results: Of the 6425 abstracts reviewed, 272 studies were included. The weighted mean prevalence of FA diagnosis was 20% (95% CI: 18%; 21%). The prevalence of FA was higher in individuals with clinical diagnosis of binge eating (55%; 95% CI 34%; 75%). The prevalence in clinical samples was higher compared to non-clinical samples. Two studies included children only and no studies included only elderly people.Conclusions: Food addiction is a topic in which there has been a significant growth in studies. The highest prevalence was found in the group of

Clinical Considerations of Ultra-processed Food Addiction Across Weight Classes: an Eating Disorder Treatment and Care Perspective

“…The most recent systematic review and meta-analysis of 272 studies using the YFAS, YFAS 2.0, and derivative scales reported a weighted mean prevalence of UPFA diagnoses at 20% worldwide (95% CI: 18–21%) [ 1 •]. The prevalence of UPFA varies widely based on the sample under study.…”

“…The prevalence of UPFA varies widely based on the sample under study. Clinical samples have higher prevalence than non-clinical samples [ 1 •]. A nationally representative sample from the USA reported UPFA prevalence at 15% [ 7 •], which closely mirrors prevalence rates of other substance-related behaviors in the USA [ 23 ].…”

“…Clinical samples (such as those with EDs) have higher UPFA prevalence than community-based or representative samples [ 34 ]. Specifically, individuals with bulimia nervosa (BN) have the highest prevalence of UPFA (48–95%), followed by binge eating disorder (BED; 55–80%), and anorexia nervosa (AN; 44–70%) [ 1 •, 35 •, 36 ]. Most studies investigating the association between AN and UPFA found that UPFA symptoms are higher among those with AN binge-purge type (AN-BP) compared to the restrictive subtype (AN-R) [ 37 , 38 , 39 •, 40 ].…”

“…Without a nuanced understanding of how UPFA symptoms present clinically in the under and normal weight categories, a linear relationship between UPFA and BMI might be assumed. Figure 1 is adapted from the recent Praxedes et al meta-analysis [ 1 •] and represents the broadest possible relationship between UPFA and BMI. The pooled prevalence among individuals considered normal weight was 17% (95% CI: 16–19%); among overweight was 24% (95% CI: 19–29%); and among those considered obese was 28% (95% CI: 24–32%).…”

“…The phenomenon of food addiction (FA) has been mentioned in over 2,500 published articles to date [ 1 •]. Most research studies have operationalized FA using the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) [ 2 ] and more recently YFAS 2.0 [ 3 ] based on DSM-5 criteria for substance use disorders (SUDs).…”