Racial differences in overeating, loss of control eating, and binge eating: Extending core tenets of the Cognitive Behavioral Theory of Eating Disorders

Abstract

PurposeThe present study examined racial differences in associations among body dissatisfaction, body checking, and dietary restraint relative to overeating, loss of control eating, and binge eating outcomes among college women. Method: Young adult women (N = 903) at three Mid-Atlantic US institutions completed measures assessing negative body image and eating pathology via an online survey. Structural equation modeling was used to test a model examining associations among body dissatisfaction, body checking, dietary restraint, and disinhibited eating behaviors. Multigroup analyses examined whether these associations differed for women who identified as White (n = 432) versus Black (n = 359). Results: More frequent body checking explained associations between elevated body dissatisfaction and more frequent use of all three disinhibited eating outcomes for White and Black women, whereas restraint solely mediated an association between body dissatisfaction and overeating. The assessed constructs generally operated in a similar manner across racial groups. However, stronger associations among body dissatisfaction, restraint, and overeating, and between body checking and loss of control eating were identified for women who identified as White versus Black. Conclusions: Eating disorder programming efforts targeting body checking behavior may prove useful in decreasing White and Black women's disinhibited eating.