Acculturation and Bulimia Nervosa Symptoms in Mexican American College Women
There has been limited research on the epidemiology of eating disorders in Latina women, but a few studies indicated that abnormal eating patterns are indeed prevalent in this ethnic minority group. One factor that may contribute to disordered eating patterns is acculturation. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of the level of acculturation on the development of bulimia nervosa symptoms in Mexican American college women. Participants included 82 Mexican American undergraduate women from a four-year research-type I university. The women were surveyed using a demographic sheet, the Acculturation Rating Scale for Mexican Americans- II (ARSMA-II), and the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q). Four participants exhibited bulimic symptoms. A one-way ANOVA showed no significant association between level of acculturation and bulimia nervosa symptoms. Findings can be attributed to the relatively small sample size composed primarily of first generation women ages 20-24. Due to different cultural perceptions of body image, a culturally sensitive assessment measure for eating disorders should be developed to prevent the under diagnosis of eating disorders among Mexican American women.
School:
University of California at Irvine
Department:
Psychology
Research Advisor:
Janet Reis
Department of Research Advisor:
Community Health
Year of Publication:
2002