: Objective: Although the cross-cultural prevalence of anorexia and bulimia nervosa
has been investigated in multiple studies, little is known about the prevalence and correlates
of binge eating and binge eating disorder (BED) cross-culturally. No published studies to date
have explored BED in small-scale, indigenous, or developing societies. The current study
investigated the prevalence and correlates of binge eating in a community sample of Fijian
women living in rural Fiji. Methods: Fifty ethnic Fijian women completed a self-report
measure developed for this study on dieting and attitudes toward body shape and change,
a Nadroga-language questionnaire on body image, and the Questionnaire on Eating and
Weight Patterns-Revised (QEWP-R). Their height and weight were also measured. Patterns of
dieting, high body mass index (BMI), and attitudes toward eating and body image were
compared between women with and without a history of binge eating. Results: Ten percent of
respondents reported at least weekly episodes of binge eating during the past 6 months and 4%
endorsed symptoms consistent with BED. Binge eating in this sample was associated significantly
with a BMI value above 35, a history of dieting, and a high concern with body shape.
Binge eating was not associated with several markers of acculturation in this sample, although
it was associated with a key, nontraditionally Fijian (i.e., acculturated) attitude toward the
body. Discussion: Binge eating occurred in a social context with traditions concerning weight
and diet widely disparate from Western populations. However, correlates of binge eating in
this sample suggest that nontraditional Fijian attitudes toward weight and body shape play a
contributory role.