Table 4.
Meta-analysis results of food addiction prevalence by gender, weight status, age, and disordered eating status. Random effects model is reported.
| Population group (n = number of studies) | Weighted mean prevalence of food addiction diagnosis (%) | 95% Confidence interval (%) | Range of prevalence across all studies (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total (n = 20) | 19.9 | 16.3, 24.0 | 5.4%–56.8% |
| Gender | |||
| Male (n = 4) | 6.4 | 2.4, 16.0 | 2.4–16.0 |
| Female (n = 6) | 12.2 | 6.4, 21.4 | 6.7–21.4 |
| Weight status | |||
| Healthy weight (n = 5) a | 11.1 | 6.3, 18.9 | 1.6–24.0 |
| Overweight/obese (n = 13) b | 24.9 | 14.2, 40.1 | 7.7–56.8 |
| Age group | |||
| Adults < 35 years (n = 9) | 17.0 | 11.8, 23.9 | 7.8–25.0 |
| Adults > 35 years (n = 11) | 22.2 | 17.7, 27.5 | 5.4–56.8 |
| Disordered eating | |||
| No clinically diagnosed disordered eating (n = 16) | 16.2 | 13.4, 19.4 | 5.4–25.0 |
| Clinically diagnosed disordered eating (n = 4) c | 57.6 | 35.3, 77.8 | 26.1–62.0 |
a Healthy weight BMI < 25 kg/m2; b Overweight/obese BMI ≥ 25 kg/m2; c Includes binge eating disorder and bulimia nervosa samples.