Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 Nov;40 Suppl(Suppl):S15-21.
doi: 10.1002/eat.20406.

Prevalence and correlates of eating disorders in Latinos in the United States

Margarita Alegria  1 , Meghan Woo, Zhun Cao, Maria Torres, Xiao-li Meng, Ruth Striegel-Moore
Affiliations

Prevalence and correlates of eating disorders in Latinos in the United States

Margarita Alegria et al. Int J Eat Disord. 2007 Nov.

Abstract

Objective: To present national estimates and correlates of lifetime and 12-month DSM-IV eating disorders for Latinos.

Method: Data come from the National Latino and Asian American Study (NLAAS), a national epidemiological household survey of Latinos in the United States.

Results: Latinos have elevated rates of any binge eating and binge eating disorder but low prevalence of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. The US born and those living a greater percentage of their lifetime in the US evidenced higher risk for certain eating disorders while severe obesity and low levels of education were significant correlates. Rates of treatment utilization were exceedingly low.

Conclusion: Standard eating disorder criteria may not be appropriate for understanding psychological morbidity of eating disorders for Latinos, particularly less acculturated Latinos, due to cultural differences in the presentation of eating disorder symptoms. Criteria for disturbed eating patterns that are more reflective of the illness experience of Latinos should be developed.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment in

References

    1. Granillo T, Jones- Rodriguez G, Carvajal S. Prevalence of Eating Disorders in Latina Adolescents : Associations with Substance Use and Other Correlates. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2005;36:214–220. - PubMed
    1. Striegel-Moore RH, Bulik CM. Risk factors for eating disorders. American Psychologist. In Press. - PubMed
    1. Bisaga K, Whitaker A, Davies M, Chuang S, Feldman J, Walsh BT. Eating disorder and depressive symptoms in urban high school girls from different ethnic backgrounds. Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. 2005;(26):257–267. - PubMed
    1. Fitzgibbon M, Spring B, Avellone M, Blackman L, Pingitore R, Stolley M. Correlates of Binge Eating in Hispanic, Black, and White Women. International Journal of Eating Disorders. 1998;24(1):43–52. - PubMed
    1. Pernick Y, Nichols JF, Rauh MJ, Kern M, Ji M, Lawson MJ, et al. Disordered eating among a multi-racial/ethnic sample of female high-school athletes. Journal of Adolescent Health. 2006;(38) 689-395. - PubMed