Eating disturbances are often portrayed as a problem found mainly among White women and nearly absent among African American women. The relationship between ethnicity and eating disturbances is examined using meta-analysis. Data from 18 studies were included to examine the overall relationship between ethnicity and eating disturbances and the specific relationship between African American women and White women. Although White women had a greater risk of eating disturbances than African American women as a group, the effect size was notably small. Specifically, White women had a slightly greater risk for all eating disturbances combined than African American women. African American women did not differ significantly from White women in their risk for bulimia and binge-eating disorder. Implications are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Abood, D. A., & Chandler, S. B. (1997). Race and the role of weight, weight change, and body dissatisfaction in eating disorders. American Journal of Health Behavior, 21, 21-25.
2.
Abrams, K. K., Allen, L. R., & Gray, J. J. (1993). Disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, psychological adjustment, and ethnic identity: A comparison of Black and White female college students. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 14, 49-57.
3.
Akan, G. E., & Grilo, C. M. (1995). Sociocultural influences on eating attitudes and behaviors, body image, and psychological functioning: A comparison of African-American, Asian American, and White college women. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 18, 181-187.
4.
Allan, J. D., Mayo, K., & Michel, Y. (1993). Body size values of White and Black women. Research in Nursing and Health, 16, 323-337.
5.
Altabe, M. (1998). Ethnicity and body image: Quantitative and qualitative analysis. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 23, 153-159.
6.
American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed.). Washington DC: Author.
7.
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.-TR). Washington DC: Author.
8.
Botta, R. A. (2000). The Mirror of television: A comparison of Black and White adolescents’ body image. Journal of Communication, 50, 144-159.
9.
Bruch, H. (1978). The golden cage: The enigma of anorexia nervosa. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
10.
Cash, T. F., & Henry, P. E. (1995). Women’s body images: The results of a national survey in the U.S.A. Sex Roles, 33, 19-28.
11.
Chandler, S. B., Abood, D. A., Lee, D. T., & Cleveland, M. Z. (1994). Pathogenic eating attitudes and behaviors and body dissatisfaction differences among Black and White college students. Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention, 2, 319-328.
12.
Crago, M., Shisslak, C. M., & Estes, L. S. (1996). Eating disturbances among American minority groups: A review. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 19, 239-248.
13.
Dolan, B. (1991). Cross-cultural aspects of anorexia nervosa and bulimia: A review. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 10, 67-79.
14.
Edwards-Hewitt, T., & Gray, J. J. (1993). The prevalence of disordered eating attitudes and behaviors in Black-American and White-American college women: Ethnic, regional, class, and media differences. Eating Disorders Review, 1, 41-54.
15.
Erel, O., & Burman, B. (1995). Interrelatedness of marital relations and parent-child relations: A meta-analytic review. Psychological Bulletin, 118, 108-132.
16.
Fairburn, C. G., & Cooper, P. J. (1984). The clinical features of bulimia nervosa. British Journal of Psychiatry, 144, 238-246.
17.
Fitzgibbon, M. L., Spring, B., Avellone, M. E., Blackman, L. R., Pingitore, R., & Stolley, M. R. (1998). Correlates of binge eating in Hispanic, Black, and White women. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 24, 43-52.
18.
Gard, M. C., & Freeman, C.P. (1996). The dismantling of a myth: A review of eating disorders and socioeconomic status. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 20, 1-12.
19.
Garner, D. M., Olmsted, M. P., Bohr, Y., & Garfinkel, P. E. (1982). The Eating Attitudes Test: Psychometric features and clinical correlates. Psychological Medicine, 12, 871-878.
20.
Garner, D. M., Olmsted, M. P., & Polivy, J. (1983). The development and validation of a multidimensional Eating Disorder Inventory for anorexia nervosa and bulimia. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 2, 15-34.
21.
Gowen, K. L., Hayward, C., Killen, J. D., Robinson, T. N., & Taylor, B. C. (1999). Acculturation and eating disorder symptoms in adolescent girls. Journal of Research on Adolescence, 9, 67-83.
22.
Granner, M. L., Abood, D. A., & Black, D. R. (2001). Racial differences in eating disorder attitudes, cigarette, and alcohol use. American Journal of Health Behavior, 25, 83-99.
23.
Gray, J. J., Ford, K. F., & Kelly, L. M. (1987). The prevalence of bulimia in a Black college population. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 6, 733-740.
24.
Gross, J., & Rosen, J. C. (1988). Bulimia in adolescence: Prevalence and psychosocial correlates. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 7, 51-61.
25.
Halpern, C. T., Udry, J. R., Campbell, B., & Suchindran, C. (1999). Effects of body fat on weight concerns, dating, and sexual activity: A longitudinal analysis of Black and White adolescent girls. Developmental Psychology, 35, 721-736.
26.
Harris, D. J., & Kuba, S. A. (1997). Ethnocultural identity and eating disorders in women of color. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 28, 341-347.
27.
Hawkins, R. C., & Clement, P. F. (1980). Development and construct validation of a self-report measure of binge eating tendencies. Addictive Behaviors, 5, 219-226.
28.
Healy, B. (1995). A new prescription for women’s health: Getting the best medical care in a man’s world. New York: Penguin Books.
29.
Hedges L., & Becker, B. (1986). Statistical methods in the meta-analysis of research on gender differences. In J. Hyde & M. Linn (Eds), The psychology of gender: Advances through meta-analysis (pp. 14-50). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.
30.
Hedges, L., & Olkin, I. (1985). Statistical methods for meta-analysis. New York: Academic Press.
31.
Henriques, G. R., Calhoun, L. G., & Cann, A. (1996). Ethnic differences in women’s body satisfaction: An experimental investigation. Journal of Social Psychology, 136, 689-697.
32.
Hsu, L. K. (1987). Are eating disorders becoming more common in Blacks? International Journal of Eating Disorders, 6, 113-124.
33.
Joiner, G. W., & Kashubeck, S. (1996). Acculturation, body image, self-esteem, and eating disorder symptomology in adolescent Mexican American women. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 20, 419-435.
34.
Lachenmeyer, J. R., Muni-Brander, P., & Belford, S. (1988). Laxative for weight control in adolescents. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 7, 849-852.
35.
Landrine, H., & Klonoff, E. A., (1996). The schedule of racist events: A measure of racial discrimination and a study of its negative physical and mental health consequences. Journal of Black Psychology, 22, 144-168.
36.
le Grange, D., Stone, A. A., & Brownwell, K. D. (1998). Eating Disturbances in White and minority female dieters. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 24, 395-403.
37.
Molloy, B. L., & Herzberger, S. D. (1998). Body image and self-esteem: A comparison of African American and Caucasian women. Sex Roles, 38, 631-643.
38.
Ogden, J., & Elder, C. (1998). The role of family status and ethnic group on body image and eating behavior. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 23, 309-315.
39.
Parker, S., Nichter, M., Nichter, M., Nuckovic, N., Sims, C., & Rittenbaugh, C. (1995). Body image and weight concerns among African American and White adolescent females: Differences that make a difference. Human Organization, 54, 103-114.
40.
Petersons, M., Rojhani, A., Steinhan, N., & Larkin, B. (2000). Effect of ethnicity on attitudes, feelings, and behaviors toward food. Eating Disorders: The Journal of Treatment and Prevention, 8, 207-219.
41.
Pumariega, A. J. (1986). Acculturation and eating attitudes in adolescent girls: A comparative and correlational study. Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 25, 276-279.
42.
Rhea, D. J. (1999). Eating disorder behaviors of ethnically diverse urban female adolescent athletes and non-athletes. Journal of Adolescence, 22, 379-388.
43.
Rosen, E. F., Anthony, D., Booker, K., Brown, T., Christian, E., Crews, R., et al. (1991). A comparison of eating disorder scores among African-American and White college students. Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 29, 65-66.
44.
Rucker, C. E., & Cash, T. F. (1992). Body image, body size perceptions, and eating behaviors among African American and White college women. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 12, 291-299.
45.
Smith, D. E., Marcus, M. D., Lewis, C. E., Fitzgibbon, M., & Schreiner, P. (1998). Prevalence of binge eating disorder, obesity, and depression in a biracial cohort of young adults. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 20, 227-232.
46.
Stice, E., & Agras, W. S. (1998). Predicting onset and cessation bulimic behaviors during adolescence: A longitudinal grouping analysis. Behavior Therapy, 29, 257-276.
47.
Story, M., French, S. A., Resnick, M. D., & Blum, R. W. (1995). Ethnic/racial and socioeconomic differences in dieting behaviors and body image perceptions in adolescents. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 18, 173-179.
48.
Striegel-Moore, R. H., Schreiber, G. B., Lo, A., Crawford, P., Obarzanek, E., & Rodin, J. (2000). Eating disorder symptoms in a cohort of 11- to 16-year-old Black and White girls: The NHLBI Growth and Health Study. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 27, 49-66.
49.
Striegel-Moore, R. H., Schreiber, G. B., Pike, K. M., Wilfley, D. E. & Rodin, J. (1995). Drive for thinness in Black and White preadolescent girls. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 18, 59-69.
50.
Striegel-Moore, R. H., & Smolak, L. (1996). The role of race in the development of eating disorders. In L. S. Smolak, M. P. Levine, & R. H. Striegel-Moore (Eds.), Developmental psychopathology of eating disorders: Implications for research, prevention, and treatment (pp. 259-284). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
51.
Striegel-Moore, R. H., & Smolak, L. (2001). Challenging the myth of the golden girl: Ethnicity and eating disorders. In R. H. Striegel-Moore, & L. Smolak (Eds.), Eating disorders: Innovative directions in research and practice (pp. 111-132). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
52.
Striegel-Moore, R. H., Wilfley, D. E., Pike, K. M., Dohm, F., & Fairburn, C. G. (2000). Recurrent binge eating in Black American women. Archives of Family Medicine, 9, 83-87.
53.
Wallis, L. A. (1999). The whole woman: Taking charge of your life in every phase of your life. New York: Avon.
54.
Wildes, J. E. & Emery, R. E. (2001). The role of ethnicity and culture in the development of eating disturbance and body dissatisfaction: A meta-analytic review. Clinical Psychology Review, 21, 521-551.
55.
Wilfley, D. E., Schreiber, G. B., Pike, K. M., Striegel-Moore, R. H., Wright, D. J., & Rodin, J. (1996). Eating disturbances and body image: A comparison of a community sample of adult Black and White women. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 20, 377-387.
