Eating disorders

Is it possible for a black woman to have an eating disorder?

Originally Published: February 16, 2001

 

Dear Alice,

Is it possible for a black woman to have an eating disorder?

—Curious

 

Dear Curious,

Yes, when it comes to eating disorders, there are no boundaries. Not too long ago, eating disorders were thought to affect only white middle- to upper-class women. This is no longer the case, as eating disorders among various racial and ethnic groups are on the rise. Eating disorder treatment centers have seen the number of minority women patients go up over the last few years. It's likely that these problems have existed for some time, but were hidden, not talked about, or unknown because minority women had not been seeking help, health care providers missed the signs, or health care access was not available.

What may account for the increase among minority women? It has been suggested that as minorities assimilate more and more into white or western cultures, they become increasingly influenced by the prevalent cultures' beliefs, attitudes, and values, including preferred or desirable body shape and size. Although the black and Latino communities have long held the view that a voluptuous body is attractive and considered an indicator of wealth and good health, some black and Latino women have felt greater pressure to conform to white society's pursuit of thinness in order to succeed. Besides the effects of acculturation, exposure to Western standards of beauty also makes a strong impact on how some view their bodies and themselves. For example, a 1999 Harvard Medical School study found disordered eating behaviors among adolescent women living in Fiji increased five-fold after the introduction of Western television programming three years earlier. Women of other Asian backgrounds have also been affected, feeling pressure to attain a slim body type that many outsiders (and insiders) incorrectly assume to be in the genes. Making matters worse, hip and fashionable young women's clothing is not available in sizes larger than a U.S. 6 or 8 in some Asian countries; larger sized clothing is limited to matronly styles only.

More specific to your question, research studies in the United States and abroad have documented the incidence of eating disorders among black women. A study published in the January 2000 issue of Archives of Family Medicine found that black women were as likely as white women to report binge eating or vomiting, and were more likely to report fasting and the abuse of laxatives or diuretics. In another study done in South Africa, black female students scored higher than other ethnic groups in the Eating Attitude Test and Bulimic Investigatory Test (two respected tools for measuring eating disorders). They also scored comparably to Caucasian female students — all of whom were assessed to fall within the clinical range of eating disorders.

The psychological reasons for developing eating disorders are similar regardless of the race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and class of those affected. They include:

• family problems
• a need to cope with:
  • stress
  • anger
  • feelings of inadequacy
  • low self-esteem
  • abuse and alcoholism (sometimes)

If one feels s/he or a friend may be at risk, and is a Columbia University student, s/he can contact the Eating Disorders Team for a confidential assessment at x4-1177. Outside of Columbia, speak with a trusted health care provider, or get in touch with a national eating disorders organization for a referral in your area. For a list of resources, see Finding support for eating disorders on and off the Net [Classic Alice!], and for more info about men and eating disorders, read Men with eating disorders?, both in Alice's Fitness and Nutrition archive.

Alice

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