Body Image and Disordered Eating Among Asian American and Caucasian College Students

Abstract

Using a sample of Caucasian and Asian American college students, this research examined gender differences within race and race differences within gender with respect to a wide range of body image and disordered eating variables. Results indicated that: (a) regardless of race, women reported more problem attitudes and behaviors than did men; (b) gender differences were similar for Asian Americans and Caucasians, although Caucasians evidenced slightly more gender differences than did Asian Americans; (c) for men, race made no difference; and (d) for women, some race differences were found, with Caucasian women engaging in more dieting and binging behavior and Asian American women reporting lower self-esteem and less satisfaction with their racially defined features. Suggestions for future research are made, and implications are discussed. Many individuals struggle with body image dissatisfaction and disordered eating.There has been much research on both the prevalence and correlates of a poor body image and on the engagement in weight control strategies associated with

Prevalence and correlates of eating disorders among Asian Americans: Results from the national Latino and Asian American study

“…This finding on gender differences supports the existing literature that indicates women exhibit more disordered eating problems compared to men, and men are less likely to develop and engage in disordered eating behaviors. 4,11 The majority of prior studies report no association between acculturation and eating disorders. 1,4,5 Our results show that the associations across several acculturation measures did not reach statistical significance.…”

“…4,11 The majority of prior studies report no association between acculturation and eating disorders. 1,4,5 Our results show that the associations across several acculturation measures did not reach statistical significance. However, our analyses also show that age is strongly associated with BED and BE.…”

“…Some studies show lower levels of eating disorders for Asian Americans compared to Whites, whereas other studies show higher levels of eating disorders among Asian American women. 4 Several studies found few or no differences in prevalence of eating disorders among Hispanic, Asian, Black, American Indian, and White women. 1,5 Conflicting results on prevalence may be due to sociocultural factors that contribute to the etiology of eating disorders.…”

Disordered Eating in Undergraduates: Does Gender Role Orientation Influence Men and Women the Same Way?

“…Milligan and Pritchard (2006) found that among Division I collegiate athletes, more female than male athletes displayed disordered eating behaviors as evidenced by higher scores on the Eating Attitudes Test (see also Johnson, Crosby et al, 2004). Similarly, female undergraduates report lower levels of satisfaction with several specific body parts and are more likely to utilize a variety of weight-loss strategies than are their male counterparts (Kashubeck-West, Mintz, & Weigold, 2005; see also Mintz & Kashubeck, 1999). In fact, in a study of factors predicting disordered eating in college students, gender was the primary predictor of drive for thinness and body dissatisfaction, and was also a predictor of bulimic behaviors as measured by the Eating Disorders Inventory (Shea & Pritchard, 2007).…”

Psychological flexibility and self-concealment as predictors of disordered eating symptoms

“…Research also shows that DE is pervasive across gender (Lavender & Anderson, 2010;Striegel-Moore & Bulik, 2007) and ethnic background (Mintz & Kashubeck, 1999;Rogers Wood & Petrie, 2010).…”