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Self‐Reported Eating Disorders of Black, Low‐Income Adolescents: Behavior, Body Weight Perceptions, and Methods of Dieting
Author(s) -
Balentine Margaret,
Stitt Kathleen,
Bonner Judith,
Clark Louise
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of school health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.851
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1746-1561
pISSN - 0022-4391
DOI - 10.1111/j.1746-1561.1991.tb07873.x
Subject(s) - dieting , eating disorders , anorexia nervosa , psychology , bulimia nervosa , affect (linguistics) , clinical psychology , perception , body mass index , developmental psychology , psychiatry , medicine , obesity , weight loss , endocrinology , communication , neuroscience
This study identified black, low‐income adolescents who thought they had anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa, identified behaviors common to those who thought they had the disorders, and compared their actual and perceived body weight as well as methods of dieting. Of the 1,930 students in grades 7–12 who participated, about 12% thought they might have an eating disorder. These students also reported having food‐related behaviors similar to individuals with eating disorders and which differed significantly from those reported by their peers. Gender was more likely to affect food behavior than age. Though most students were within their expected weight range, those with self‐reported eating disorders perceived themselves to be heavier more often than their peers and when their actual weights were compared, they were more likely to weigh more. Of those who had dieted to lose weight, fasting was the most frequently reported restrictive method used.