Binge eating disorders in the age of coronavirus outbreak

Introduction Lockdown imposed by the Tunisian government had a psychological impact such as depression, stress and anxiety, which triggered the development of eating disorders especially binge eating disorder. Objectives To screen the binge eating disorder among general population in Gabes (south of Tunisia) and to identify factors associated with it. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive and analytical web-based survey, from April 19, 2020, to May 5, 2020 on Facebook on citizens living in south of Tunisia. During this period, the total confirmed cases of COVID-19 exceeded 900 in Tunisia. We used a self-administered anonymous questionnaire containing citizen’s sociodemographic and clinical data. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria were used to assess Binge-Eating Disorder. Results A total of 331 persons were included. They were females (65%) and singles (43,2%). 71% of our population were aged between 20 and 40 years old. Among citizens of southern Tunisia, 6,9% suffered from binge eating disorder during this period of the lockdown. Binge eating disorders were associated to past psychiatric history (2,1% vs 4,53%, p<10 -3 ), history of eating disorder (4,5% vs 2,4%, p<10 -3 ), social isolation (5,1% vs 1,8%, p=0,015) and lack of physical activity (3,3% vs 3,9%, p=0,025). Conclusions Our study showed that lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic has changed the eating behavior of citizens of southern Tunisia. It is therefore important to screen them in order to manage them before complications emerge.