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Body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in Native American, Hispanic, and White College Women

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Eating and Weight Disorders - Studies on Anorexia, Bulimia and Obesity Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

The sociocultural model of eating disorders asserts that societies which emphasize the thin-ideal have higher rates of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. Recent research questions the related presumption that non-White cultures value a larger ideal female and thus have lower rates of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating. The limited research on these constructs in racial/ethnic minorities primarily has used non-validated instruments. The current study investigated rates of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating with validated, widely used measures.

Methods

Measures of body dissatisfaction and disordered eating were completed by 896 college women in the United States: 473 Hispanics, 341 non-Hispanic whites, and 82 Native Americans.

Results

Although Native Americans and Hispanics had higher body mass indices (and larger ideal shapes) than White women, the groups had similar body dissatisfaction scores. Native Americans reported somewhat less restricted eating compared to White women. When controlling for body mass index and age, group differences on body dissatisfaction emerged and the group differences in eating disorder symptoms became more pronounced, with White women showing more pathology. Reliability and validity across groups were good.

Conclusions

This study offers some support for the sociocultural model of eating disorders and provides mean scores for Native American and Hispanic females on widely-used eating disorder measures.

Level of Evidence

Level V, cross-sectional descriptive study.

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Funding

This study was not supported by funding.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Elizabeth A. McLaughlin

    Present address: Rhode Island Hospital, 593 Eddy St., Providence, RI, 02903, USA

  2. Katherine E. Belon

    Present address: New Mexico Veterans Affairs Healthcare System, 1501 San Pedro Dr. SE, Albuquerque, NM, 87108, USA

  3. Katherine Kelton

    Present address: Saint Louis University, 3700 Lindell Blvd, St. Louis, MO, 63103, USA

  4. Clare Arroyo

    Present address: University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Reginald Hebert Fitzgerald Hall, Room 107, MSC08 4700, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology Department, MSC03 2220, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, 87131, USA

    Jamie M. Smith, Jane Ellen Smith, Elizabeth A. McLaughlin, Katherine E. Belon, Kelsey N. Serier, Jeremiah D. Simmons, Katherine Kelton, Clare Arroyo & Harold D. Delaney

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  1. Jamie M. Smith
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  2. Jane Ellen Smith
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  3. Elizabeth A. McLaughlin
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  4. Katherine E. Belon
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jane Ellen Smith.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Ethical approval

All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

Informed consent

Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in this study.

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Smith, J.M., Smith, J.E., McLaughlin, E.A. et al. Body dissatisfaction and disordered eating in Native American, Hispanic, and White College Women. Eat Weight Disord 25, 347–355 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-018-0597-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40519-018-0597-8

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