Eating Disorders Among Ethnic Minorities

Abstract

Given the gravity of recent increasing eating disorder diagnoses, the amount of research dedicated to eating disorders and ethnicity/acculturation is insufficient. This study explores the differences in eating disorder risk factors based on ethnicity/acculturation and the prediction of eating disorder diagnoses based on ethnicity/acculturation. The participant pool was made of 579 females (ages 18-64, U.S. residents, proficient in English) recruited using Sona Systems at Vanderbilt University and Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). A survey was compiled using the online survey manager REDCap consisting of various risk factor scales/tests (Y-BOCS, TQ-R, PROMIS Short form for anxiety, PHQ-8, EDI), an acculturation scale (AHIMSA), and an eating disorder assessment (EDE-Q). Participants were compensated for taking the survey with either 2 academic credits (Sona) or a monetary reward of $2.00 (MTurk). Results showed that while there was no significant difference in risk factors based on ethnicity/acculturation, there was a difference among risk factors pertaining to body image (shape concern, weight concern, drive for thinness, restraint, body dissatisfaction, eating concern) based on the interaction effect between race/ethnicity and immigration status. These findings highlight the need for further research on eating disorders and demonstrate the nuances through which eating disorder risk factors/symptoms can manifest, particularly through ethnic and cultural factors.