Risk and protective factors for eating, weight, and body image problems
How does ethnicity contribute to issues with eating, weight, and body image?
- African-Amercians report less body dissatisfaction (Grabe and Hyde, 2006)
- Hispanic and non-Hispanic caucasian girls show more eating disorder symptoms than African American or Carribean girls (Bisaga etal, 2005). However, some studies have not found differences between African American and Caucasian groups in the US (Reagan and Hersch, 2005)
- Hispanic girls and adolescents often overestimate their weight status, show concern about their weight, and experience body dissatisfaction. They report eating pathology at a similar level or higher than non-Hispanic white girls (Austin and Smith, 2008)
- Higher economic status and greater Anglo acculturation have been found to be related to more disordered eating among Latinas (Granillo et al, 2005; Cachelin et al, 2006)
- Striegel-Moore et al (2005) found little difference between between black and white girls in the US.
