Abstract:Objective: This study examined barriers to treatment in an ethnically diverse community sample of women with eating disorders. Method: Participants were 61 women (22 Hispanics, 8 Asians, 12 Blacks, 19 Whites) with eating disorders. Diagnosis was determined using the Eating Disorder Examination. Treatment-seeking history, barriers to treatment seeking, ethnic identity, and acculturation were assessed. Results: Although 85% of the sample reported wanting help for an eating problem, only 57% had ever sought treatment for an eating or weight problem. Individuals who had sought treatment reported being significantly more distressed about their binge eating than those who had not sought treatment and having begun overeating at a younger age. Of those who had sought help, 86% had not received any treatment for their eating problems. The main barriers to treatment seeking were financial reasons. Conclusion: Women from minority groups who have eating disorders are underdiagnosed and typically not treated.
The purpose of this study was to examine disordered eating, acculturation, and treatment‐seeking in a community sample of Hispanic, Asian, Black, and White women. Participants were 118 women with disordered eating (49 Hispanic, 21 Asian, 23 Black, and 25 White) and 118 healthy controls. Interviews were conducted to assess eating and weight‐related behaviors, psychiatric symptoms, acculturation, and health care usage. Results indicated that the four ethnic groups were equally likely to present behavioral symptoms of bulimia, anorexia, or a binge‐eating disorder. Hispanics were the most likely to use diuretics, and Black women were the most likely to use laxatives. Despite psychological distress among the eating disorder group, only a small percentage had received treatment during the past year; the eating disorder group was more likely than the controls to report that they had been denied treatment. More acculturated individuals were more likely to suffer from eating problems, and among the eating disorder group, less acculturated individuals were less likely to have received treatment.
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