Cultural Considerations - Eating Disorders

CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS

Both anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa are far more prevalent in industrialized societies, where food is abun-dant and beauty is linked with thinness. In the United States, anorexia nervosa is less frequent among African Americans (Andreasen & Black, 2006). For example, before 1995, there was little television on the island of Fiji. Eating disorders were almost nonexistent, and being “plump” was considered the ideal shape for girls and women. In the 5 years following the widespread introduc-tion of television, the number of eating disorders in Fiji skyrocketed.

Eating disorders are most common in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, and South Africa. Immigrants from cultures in which eating disorders are rare may develop eating disorders as they assimilate the thin-body ideal (APA, 2000).

A study conducted in Israel attempted to analyze social and cultural influences of eating disorders. Israeli Jewish adolescents and women had incidences of disordered eat-ing similar to Westernized cultures. However, Israeli Arabs had little disordered eating among similar female and ado-lescent groups—in keeping with their beliefs, which differ significantly from Westernized ideas (Latzer, Witztum, & Stein, 2008).

Eating disorders appear to be equally common among Hispanic and Caucasian women and less common among African American and Asian women (Anderson & Yager, 2005). Minority women who are younger, better educated, and more closely identified with middle-class values are at increased risk for developing an eating disorder.

During the past several years, eating disorders have increased among all U.S. social classes and ethnic groups (Anderson & Yager, 2005). With today’s technology, the entire world is exposed to the Western ideal, which equates thinness with beauty and desirability. As this ideal becomes widespread to non-Western cultures, anorexia and bulimia will likely increase there as well.