Relationships between emetophobia symptomatology, fear of food, and body mass index

Emetophobia refers to a specific fear of vomiting. Some persons with emetophobia restrict their food intake (i.e., the amount of food eaten in a meal and/or avoidance of certain foods) because of their fear of vomiting, which can result in a low body weight. However, only a handful of studies has yet examined relationships between emetophobia and body mass index (BMI). We analyzed data from a convenience sample of 233 persons (76% female) who completed the Specific Phobia of Vomiting Inventory (SPOVI) as well as the Fear of Food Questionnaire (FFQ) and indicated their current height as well as their current and highest past body weight. Scores on the SPOVI and FFQ did neither separately nor interactively relate to current BMI (with or without controlling for highest past BMI or age and sex). Although previous studies reported that persons with emetophobia who seek treatment tend to have a lower BMI than persons with other mental disorders (including other specific phobias), the current study does not indicate that emetophobia symptomatology is related to a lower BMI in general. Future studies are necessary to further examine why and under which circumstances fear of vomiting results in restricted food intake and low body weight.