OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the presence and severity of eating disorder pathology in students representing South Africa's ethnically and culturally diverse population. METHOD: A questionnaire survey, which involved the Eating Attitude Test and the Bulimic Investigatory Test, was administered to 1,435 South African college students (739 Caucasian and 696 non-Caucasian) from six universities in two urban centers. RESULTS: Black students scored significantly higher than the other ethnic groups on these measures. In addition, a comparable percentage of black and Caucasian female students had scores within the clinical range on these scales. Male students scored consistently lower than female students. CONCLUSIONS: This study's findings challenge the notion that eating disorders are primarily a Western, Caucasian phenomenon and raise the possibility that the risk of eating disorders may increase in developing societies.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the presence and severity of eating disorder pathology in students representing South Africa's ethnically and culturally diverse population. METHOD: A questionnaire survey, which involved the Eating Attitude Test and the Bulimic Investigatory Test, was administered to 1,435 South African college students (739 Caucasian and 696 non-Caucasian) from six universities in two urban centers. RESULTS: Black students scored significantly higher than the other ethnic groups on these measures. In addition, a comparable percentage of black and Caucasian female students had scores within the clinical range on these scales. Male students scored consistently lower than female students. CONCLUSIONS: This study's findings challenge the notion that eating disorders are primarily a Western, Caucasian phenomenon and raise the possibility that the risk of eating disorders may increase in developing societies.
Authors: Alberto Rodríguez-Quiroga; Karina S MacDowell; Juan C Leza; José Luis Carrasco; Marina Díaz-Marsá Journal: Eat Weight Disord Date: 2020-05-18 Impact factor: 4.652
Authors: Elizabeth W Kimani-Murage; Kathleen Kahn; John M Pettifor; Stephen M Tollman; David B Dunger; Xavier F Gómez-Olivé; Shane A Norris Journal: BMC Public Health Date: 2010-03-25 Impact factor: 3.295