Bulimic attitudes among Asian and Caucasian schoolgirls

Abstract

AbstractCultural issues appear to play an important role in the eating problems of adolescents. Asian adolescent girls living in the U.K. have unusually high levels of eating psychopathology, with a particular emphasis on bulimic behaviours and attitudes. This study examines these cultural differences in bulimic eating patterns in more detail among a group of adolescent schoolgirls living in the U.K. A complex pattern of eating attitudes emerged. Asian girls were more likely to fast, but Caucasian girls binged more often than the Asians. Possible explanations for these two patterns of bulimic psychopathology are considered, including cultural differences in normal eating practices and in responses to emotional stressors.